


March Madness

by orphan_account



Category: Shefani
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:35:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6410875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>First chapter is pretty explicit, so you might want to skip is that makes you uncomfortable. Hope you enjoy, trying to write longer series now, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for reading :)</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is pretty explicit, so you might want to skip is that makes you uncomfortable. Hope you enjoy, trying to write longer series now, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for reading :)

It had been a crazy couple of weeks. More like a crazy year, but the past few weeks have been jam packed with shows, interviews, vacations, album promotions etc etc. From Blake hosting the Kids Choice Awards, to Gwen being in Japan right before her album dropping and bringing the kids to Oklahoma. Blake couldnt believe how crazy his life was sometimes. Great, but crazy. This was actually the longest theyd been apart from each other and Blake was a lonely cowboy. Luckily with today's technology they were almost constantly texting and face timing when they could. But still it wasn't the same, He needed to feel her in his arms, feel her warmth, feel her whole body shake as she giggled. 

And Blake could tell she did also. She was beyond bummed to miss the award show but He knew it meant the world to her that he was with her family and boys even when she was away. The distance between them in japan was rough though, especially when after the fashion show she attended, she got a little tipsy and as it turns out a little horny as well. The whole night she sent Blake dirty texts accompanied with pictures of her in her fishnets which she knows made him hard in about 2 seconds flat. Blake woke up the following morning to his phone gong crazy with text messages teasing him one after the other:

"I miss my hot cowboy." "I need you so bad right now." "I'm so wet just thinking about you." "I wish you were inside of me." "How fast can you get here." "I want you to make me scream." 

He read all of them one after the other with blurry eyes becoming less blurry while his erection grew in his very lonely bed. He decided to call her. If nothing else to hear her voice... And make sure she doesn't go home with some tall fashion designer. Blake knows she never ever would but still, he doesn't like the idea of Gwen being this horny and that beautiful with him not next to her fighting off the eyes of other men. 

"Well sounds like someone had a little too much sake tonight, huh babe." She giggles and Blake's glad it's quiet where she is, hopefully indicating she's back in her hotel, alone. "Oh my God, the show was so amazing tonight Blake. And the fashion and the music and the drinks. It was just magical." He loves hearing her talk about this stuff. Even though it's completely beyond his country world, it doesn't mean that he didn't get ecstatic watching her eyes light up speaking about something she's so passionate about. "There was only one thing missing to make it perfect. You baby. God I wish you were here. In more ways then one." 

Wow. She just went from sweet to sexy in no time. Yeah, she's still horny. He can tell by how her voice went low and sultry. "Well you had to have known those texts and pictures would drive me crazy. I literally got a hard on just reading the dirty things you were saying. And I loved it baby girl." Even though Blake's not there, he can tell she's smiling and blushing. "Well I meant it cowboy. I'm so lonely in this bed without you. I feel like it's been so long since I felt you inside of me." His dick is now at full mast and he begins gently stroking himself. He realizes that he needs her as much as Gwen needs him and so he decides to take this as far as she's comfortable.

Blake's voice goes low and soft in a way where his southern drawl is very apparent "Baby, if I were next to you right now what would you want me to do to you?" She giggles which is probably her attempt to stall. This is either going to go one of two ways. She'll either get very shy or she'll go along with it. Selfishly, with how hard he is, he's hoping the amounts of sake she's had will take away her shyness and allow her to be a little wild with him tonight. 

"I'd want you to make scream." 

Option B. Holy fuck. This is happening. Her voice is low and quiet indicating that she's just as turned on as he is right now.

"Oh yeah? I think that can be arranged baby. Are you touching yourself right now Gwen? Cuz I am. I've been hard ever since seeing you in those fishnets." His voice is a little hoarse as he gets more excited. 'I need to calm down a bit tho and take this slow as I hold her hand through this' the cowboy thinks to himself. He can hear through the phone that she's breathing harder right now. "Yes I'm touching myself. I wish they were your fingers instead of mine, but I'm so wet babe. I'm going crazy. I want you bad." Her voice is almost a plea and Blake decides to take the lead and fill her imagination. 

"If I were with you right now Gwen, I would have pinned you up against the wall of your hotel room the second the door closed. I would have picked you up by your ass wrapping your legs around me while I licked and kiss all along your neck and jaw. Then I'd set you down and begin ripping your clothes right off of you leaving you only in your stilettos and fishnet thigh high stocking." He can tell by her moans and "oh my gods" every now and then that she's really loving this. And so is Blake as he starts stroking himself with more force getting more and more lost in this image of the two of them. 

"Keep going baby, keep talking to me. Please. What's next?" He loves it when she's desperate like this. It drives him crazy. "Next I back you against the wall where I slowly dip my fingers into your wet wet pussy to see if your ready. Can you feel me baby?" 

"Uh huh!" She barely managed to get that out. "You're so wet and warm it feels so good on my fingers baby. I then walk you over to the table by the bar lifting you up on top of with one hand while the other still pumps in and out of you while you moan softly. You then work to get my clothes off as I'm still fully dressed in front of your perfect naked body. I pull my fingers out of you quickly as you let a small whimper missing me inside of you. I then grab my dick lining it up with your dripping pussy and you shake in anticipation." Her breathing is now ragged and to be honest so is Blake's. His mouth is getting dry and he knows they are both very close. He nearly come right then when she suddenly jumps in to this fantasy. 

"Oh god Blake please put it in me, I can't wait, please... Ohhh." She's totally lost in this and so is he. "I slide my rock hard dick into you. You're so wet and willing that I go all the way in on the first try. I'm buried so deep in you that you can barely breath. After kissing the life out of you I start pounding into you on the table. Your arms and legs are flaring everywhere as you can barely hold on with how hard I'm fucking you. Harder and harder and harder into you Gwen until...."

"Oh god Blake I'm coming! I'm coming! Blaaaaakkkkeee!!" Hearing her scream his name through the phone on the other side of the world causes him to release into his hands. They're still breathing heavily into the phone as they both come down from their climaxes. "Holy shit baby, I can't believe I just did that." She laughs, suddenly embarrassed. He laughs too pointing out to her how incredibly hot that just was but realizes quickly she's needs to hear something sweet.

"As amazing as that just was baby girl, I hate the fact that I'm not there next to you right now to hold you in bed afterwards." And honestly he's not just saying that. Holding Gwen while her trembling calms down is something Blake absolutely adore. It's makes him feel strong and protective which is why at this moment he actually is regretting taking it so far. Don't get him wrong, it was amazing, she was amazing and it felt amazing. But to be honest, being alone right now, and Gwen being alone right now afterwards is something Blake never wants to experience again. They just gave each other incredible orgasms, and instead of falling asleep in each other's arms, they're going to fall asleep hugging a pillow. 

He hears her sniffle a bit after his words of adoration and he knows she's feeling what he's feeling as well. "Blake I miss you so much." She's actually crying at this point. Legit crying. And his heart breaks. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe if he didn't take it that far she wouldn't be upset. "Baby I miss you too, but I'm right here." He tries and comfort her as best he can even though he's crying on the inside as well. He want nothing more then to lie next to her with her head on his chest and wrap his arms around her as they drift to sleep under the covers. "I'm right here Gwen, listen to my voice, I'm not going anywhere." 

She's calming down a little but he gets an idea to FaceTime her so they can see each other. It might help a little. Not a lot, but a little he thinks. He calls back two seconds later except this time, through FaceTime. He gets a huge smile on his face as he sees her. She's got that blissful foggy look in her eyes like she usually does after they make love and suddenly his eyes tear up. "There's my beautiful girl" he says out loud. "Hey there handsome" she smiles and blushes. They talk for a little bit but Blake knows it's the middle of the night in Tokyo and she has to get to sleep. She doesn't want to hang up even though her eyes are getting heavy as she lays in bed, so he decides to stay on FaceTime with her until she's asleep. If he can't be next to her, it's the next best thing right? 

When he realizes she's deep into her slumber he hesitates before hanging up as he watches her peacefully. God he loved her and couldn't wait to get her back in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Blake and Gwen were about to spend an week together with her family in Oklahoma at his ranch and it felt like a dream. They had been apart for two weeks, which for them, might as well have been two years. They both had amazing opportunities for their careers and even though they'd always supported each other and were by each other's side, these events overlapped so they had to be solo for a few weeks. That's ok though, absence definitely made the heart grow fonder. 

On the way to Tish, Jen teased Gwen as she checked her make up about a dozen times. "Relax Gwen, he'll want to jump you no matter whether you have make up on or not." They both laughed trying to hide their conversation from the kids and her brother. "Oh my god, I can like barely contain myself. This is the longest we've gone without sex and it's like driving me crazy! God I didn't realize how much I needed him until this trip." She blushes a little, but not too much. Her and Jen have the kind of relationship where this isn't weird to talk about and since there was never, ever, anything to brag about with Gavin and hers sex life, she's loving moments like this. Jen lowers her voice even more to whisper "Well, I doubt you'll be able to hold off until tonight, so if you want to just shoot me a look or signal, I'll watch the kids or take them on a walk or something while you two have alone time." Gwen feels guilty for wanting to jump at this idea because of how much she misses Blake's touch, so she nonchalantly thanks Jen and just decides to play it by ear. She's got some self control after all. 

Blake meets them at the airport with a couple SUVs and Gwen jumps into his arms and gives him a huge kiss with the rest of the Stefani's to follow. They drive back to his huge ranch, holding hands the whole time and making heart eyes at each other while the kids take in the scenery on the drive. Blake gives a quick tour to everyone and shows them all their rooms and let's everyone get settled before taking a hike. Gwen is pretty proud of herself for her self control considering how long it had been, maybe she was able after all to wait till tonight to be with her man... Or maybe she spoke too soon. 

She was standing in the doorway watching the kids play catch with Betty out back when she felt Blake standing right behind her. He wasn't even touching her but he could feel his breathing on her collarbone and it sent shivers up and down her body before settling in the space between her thighs and she knew she was a goner. She quickly looked to make sure the nanny had Apollo and had an eye on the boys before grabbing Blakes hand and pulling him in to his room. "You read my mind honey" He teases as she locks the door and sticks her tongue down his throat. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait till everyone was asleep, I need you so bad right now baby." She's practically moaning this into his mouth as they both don't want to disconnect from each other. 

They frantically, unbutton each others jeans as they are still standing against the closed door. There's no foreplay, no undressing, no worshipping of each other's bodies for hours; there's no time for that, that'll have to wait until later that night. This moment is about lust and desire and want and need. They yank each other's jeans and underwear down just enough to penetrate each other. As soon as Gwens thong is pushed to the side and Blakes dick is out he slams her against the wall and she climbs him a little to line their bodies up. He thrusts into her with ease thanks to how wet she is and Gwen can do nothing but scream into his mouth. Thank god the entire family is on the other side is the estate, otherwise they'd think she was crying for help. "Fuck Blake!" Gwen comes in seconds of him inside her, and he shortly follows as soon as she had clenched down during her own climax, a new record for the two of them. This was no doubt due to the fact that they'd been apart for weeks. Both panting and out of breath, they begin laughing at what just happened. "Holy shit Gwen. I guess we lived up to what a quickie should be." She buried her face into his neck laughing as they both clung to each other, still trying to catch their breaths from the quick, yet powerful orgasms that just occurred. 

They quickly cleaned up, made out for a few more minutes, and returned back to the family outside where no one seemed to notice their absence. They smiled from across the room, each containing a look in their eyes portraying to the other that 'yes, what happened was amazing and hot, and yes it'll hold me off for a bit, but I can't wait to get you alone all over again.' It wasn't until later that night they were finally able to show the other without words just how much they missed each other. It was slow, and passionate, and the true definition of making love. Over the course of hours and hours, Gwen came four times and Blake twice. They were exhausted the next morning but also glowed in a way neither had seen. The two of them were already loving spring break.

 

The rest of the week was like a dream to Gwen. Not a dream actually, because it was finally her reality. They fished, hiked, road ATVs, had huge family dinners, watched movies, played music, laughed, cried, everything... it was so domestic and perfect that Gwen would find herself staring constantly, reveling in whatever was in front of her. It happened when Blake was teaching the boys how to fish as he sat between Kingston and Zuma on a log with Apollo on his lap; it happened when him and Todd would talk and laugh for hours while barbecuing or making drinks; and it happened when after a long day outdoors her four boys were passed out on his California king sized bed, with each one of her kids somehow on top of her boyfriend. Gwen couldn't help but smile and stare as her heart exploded, never having gotten used to this feeling of true love and family. 

But she wasn't the only one, Blake could not help but wonder how he ever got so lucky. Even though he'd always had the image of sort of the "fun uncle" who never wanted kids and just liked having a good time, it wasn't true. Having his home filled with laughter and feet running around and yes, chaos, is exactly what he always imagined when he built it. And the fact that not only did Gwen love it here, but that she wanted to share it with her family for an entire week meant more to him then he realized. Just like Gwen, there were moments where he constantly found himself staring as well. It happened as he watched her tuck the boys in to what he hoped would be their new rooms; it happened when she helped his mom and sister in the kitchen before offering to braid his niece'shair; and it happened when she held onto her youngest boy to pet her horse he had bought for her. Gwen loved that horse and anytime Blake would notice her missing, chances are she was down at the stables. So when he woke up alone on the last morning of their spring break before having to go back to LA, he had an idea of where she was. It worried him at first because he hated the feeling of rolling over in search of her warmth and just getting cold sheets instead. But as he walked out onto his patio he spotted her blonde hair and steam coming from her cup of tea as she made her way to the stables. Blake decided to make his way down there as well considering he already was missing her presence. 

As he walked across the field on that cold morning he was stopped in his tracks with what he saw. It was exactly what he pictured as he walked to the stable but it still amazed him to his core. Gwen standing against the fence as Halo nuzzles her neck made his stomach drop. The morning Oklahoma light hitting her blonde hair and lighting up her perfect face as she smiled and whispered to the animal, putting their foreheads together was nothing short of beautiful. She was so peaceful, so content, so happy that he almost didn't want to interrupt them and instead just wanted to stay in that moment and watch her forever. Blake suddenly found himself praying, thanking God for this woman in his life realizing just how in love with her he is. As soon as he finished, the distance between them became too much and he walked up behind her, startling her a little, and wrapping his arms around her trying to warm her up in the morning chill. 

"Good morning cowboy" Gwen smiled into his cheek as she turned her head a bit to the side. "Mornin' beautiful. So this is where you sneak off to when I'm not lookin'. I got worried you'd run off with some rodeo stud you met in town." She giggled, pulling his arms tighter around her frame as she played with Halos main. "Never babe, I just love it down here. It's so quiet and peaceful..." she lets out a big sigh before adding in her mom voice that Blake finds adorable and surprisingly hot, "...And I can't stand to be away from my little bunny." Now it's Blakes turn to giggle as she turns around finally meeting his baby blues for the first time that morning. 

She loves the way he looks in the morning, curls all askew, beard a little longer then usual, sleepy eyes that make them sparkle. The sun is coming up behind him making her beautiful cowboy glow and she can't help but just melt in his arms. Her arms are around his waist as he towers over her, brushing stray hairs off her face as the morning breeze blows. He cups her cheek and their lips meet in a kiss that seems too perfect to believe. It was so simple and gentle that Gwen had to contain herself from tearing up. Instead, they melted into each other not saying a word and instead enjoying the sounds of nature all around them. They could have stayed there all day but the sound of voices up at the house echoed down to them and they knew the kids must be awake and about. 

"Better make our way up there darlin and get breakfast started. They're probably anxious to get going on that Easter Egg hunt." Gwen nods her head conflicted with her feelings. She's so excited to watch her kids and Blake's niece and nephew as they hunt for eggs, but also knows that it means this vacation is over and they have to leave. Her face is suddenly sad as Blake turns to go back up to the ranch. "I just..." Her voice cracks a little making Blake turn back towards her. "I just don't know if I'm ready to leave this place yet, I don't want to give this up." He returns to her side pulling her close with his hands in her back pockets. Blake gives his boyish, crooked smile barely showing his dimples, "Gwen, when are you going to realize that this is your life now, this is our life now. You don't have to give any of it up. Sometimes I get a little sad cuz it feels like you think all of this is temporary; You, me, Oklahoma, LA, us. I know there are still obstacles in front of us and we might still be in the honeymoon phase, but you don't need to keep lookin' over your shoulder wondering when the other shoe will drop. Cuz I'm telling you one thing, we made it darlin' We finally got to where we belong, you and me, side by side, forever." Gwen is looking up at Blake smiling so big and so pure that it hurts her cheeks as a few tears run down them. He wipes them away, kisses her on the forehead, grabs her hand, and leads them up to the ranch with the sound of children's laughter getting louder. 

As they make their way in to Blake's huge living room, he kisses the back of her hand before letting go to help out his sister in the kitchen with Jen. Gwen is about to sit with the kids who are having fun going through their Easter baskets but she pauses to take in the view and stare one last time. The sight of all of it is almost too much; the sight of all seven kids running around and laughing together as Apollo sits on Mrs. Shelton's lap still rubbing his sleepy eyes; the sight of Blake, Jen, and Endy cooking breakfast while singing to the music playing; the sight of Blakes brother in law and Gwens brother laughing as they hang with the older boys; it's all too much. It's this moment she realizes she finally got her simple kind of life she always dreamed of. Except it's a reality now, one that she never has to give up.


	3. Chapter 3

Back in LA suddenly reminds them of all the responsibilities they were able to leave behind. Even though it was spring break for the kids and school and homework, it felt like spring break for Gwen and Blake as well. Break from paparazzi, interviews, photo shoots, meetings, everything. They were always thankful for their careers, but a break to enjoy normalcy is always needed. 

But what an exciting time it is. Gwens album going number one was like icing on the cake for the two of them. When news of Billboard broke, she could do nothing but cover her face with her hands and cry in disbelief. It wasn't until Blake held her tight whispering "You did it, baby! You did it!" That it actually sunk it. This record was everything to her and even if it sold one copy she would have still loved it, so the fact that her hard work and honesty reached thousands spoke volumes to her. 

They were only in town for a few days before Gwen had to go to New York to rehearse for Saturday Night Live and then Blake had to be in Las Vegas to perform at the ACM awards, so the kids were with Gavin. It was hard for Gwen to drop them off even though she knew it was his time with them. She had the three boys for practically two weeks straight and she figured they missed their dad, but it still pained her to say good bye as she cried while driving back to Blakes house where she stayed when the boys were gone. 

Tuesday was a little hectic as Gwen rushed around doing errands and meeting with her stylist for both SNL and the ACM red carpet. Performing on SNL is huge for any artist and she hasn't done it in forever, but walking the country award show red carpet with Mr. Blake Shelton himself is what she was equally nervous and excited about. She wanted to make a good impression, and hoped she had picked something out that made him proud and maybe just a little turned on. After all, his ex wife will be there she thought to herself. He had been so amazing at the Vanity Fair party in Hollywood, and even though it was a tiny version of a red carpet, he stuck by her side the entire time and she wanted to repay him in every way. Besides, it was going to be a huge night. He was performing his new single for the first time in front of country music legends so she knew Blake was going to be nervous and wanted to support him in the audience just like he would. 

Blake was also busy all day meeting with voice contestants, going to the studio, and doing some promo for his video premiere to be released that night. He was excited but nervous, he loved the song and how it came out and what it symbolized, but the video wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. And what made him most nervous, is that Gwen hadn't seen it yet. He offered when the final cut was done but she said she wanted to wait even though he had a feeling like it wasn't going to go well. Blake never really cared much about the music video aspect of his job, so he never gave much thought to it. Gwen on the other hand loved it. She loved the costumes and make believe story of it all. Probably because her best friend Sophie was a music video director and they always worked extremely closely on each of her singles. But Blake didn't really care, he wished he did though, especially with this song. Even though he didn't write the lyrics, it felt like it was taken directly out of his and Gwen's love story. 

Gwen sat in the back seat of her car as her driver drove across town from her stylist's office to Blake's house where she'd spend the night. Her phone started blowing up with fans responses on Twitter to his music video premiere suddenly reminding her that it was finally available. She plugged in her headphones so she wouldn't annoy her driver and you tubed the video smiling as she anxiously waited to see his face. Four minutes later, she sat in silence with her smile gone and her stomach in knots. It wasn't exactly what she'd pictured. Gwen was incredibly conflicted with how she was feeling; disappointed, jealous, hurt, proud, confused, turned on, anxious. She felt everything with no time to figure it out as her car reached his house. 

Gwen exited the car, said bye to the driver, and opened the front door to find her boyfriend in the kitchen pouring wine while pasta boiled. "Hey babe! I missed you all day!" He greeted her as he gave a short kiss and handed her wine. "Hi honey, missed you too." And she did, she really really did. So she tried to just rid it of her mind and enjoy his presence. The rest of the evening went smoothly with laughing, good conversation, good food, and finally discussing the plans for New York and las Vegas. It wasn't until he got a text from his agent mentioning the response to the music video that the topic came up. 

"So what did you think of the video babe?" 

She hesitated, suddenly getting those same knots in her stomach that made her feel sick. 

"Gwen? Did you watch it?" He asked on the other side of the kitchen island. "Yeah, of course I saw it. I thought you looked super hot." She tried to avoid giving her real answer and feelings towards it by giving a shallow response and not looking at him but he saw through it. "C'mon babe. Tell me what's up. You've been distant all night, I could tell. The second you walked in, it felt like your mind has been somewhere else. Is it me? Is it the video? Tell me the truth hun." He was direct, she loved that about him but also hated it sometimes when she was embarrassed to say what she was feeling. 

"It just wasn't what I was expecting Blake. I know what the song's about, and the image they wanted to get across, I guess I just wasn't ready to see you with some 18 year old model who is the exact opposite of me. I'm sorry, you know I love the song, but to be honest, I felt sick after watching you and another girl." Wow, she didn't mean to say that much, she didn't even know she felt that way until it left her mouth. She wast angry, she actually felt horrible, especially when she saw Blake's face turn white. It's as if she just accused him of cheating which she ever meant to. Blake walked towards her but she took a step back causing him to freeze. She's never taken a step back from him, it was always towards him. His eyes filled a little as he opened his mouth, "Baby, it's not like that I swear!" As he's saying the words he knows in this moment he must sound just like Gavin and he hates himself for it. 

"Gwen, I hated the video too. When I saw it, I knew immediately it wasn't for me. But you know me, you know I don't put much effort into this part like you and Sophie do. If it were up to be, it would have just been me playing a guitar to you in front of a fire place. That's it, but you know that's not how it works." Blakes voice is getting a little more stern now, and he begins to get a little insulted that Gwen would think he would do something wrong. He finishes by adding "I'm not him Gwen. I'm nothing like him, in every way. There is no one else in the world I am interested in. You're everything to me, and I'm sorry this four minute video made you doubt that."

He's upset, and she hates herself for doubting him but she also can't help how she feels due to her history. "I know Blake, I know. I know you're nothing like him, I know videos are weird how they come together, I know you didn't do anything wrong and you never would." Gwen is crying through her words at this point "I just also know how insecure I am when it comes to this. I love you so much and I know how much you love me which is why watching you with someone less then half my age made me feel sick. My imagination is already too much to handle, and the thought of you with another woman is my worst nightmare. Even though I know it would never happen, it's still a nightmare of mine Blake." 

Blake wants so badly to hold her and assure her that all of her insecurities are unnecessary around him. He wants to cry and show her that his heart is breaking as she stands there with tears coming down her face because of something he did. He wants to quickly think of something clever and funny to say to make her smile and forget this whole thing. But before he can do any of that, Gwen interjects. "I think maybe I should just go." Now Blake is the one to feel sick to his stomach. 

"Gwen... No. Please don't. This was a stupid video that means nothing. Please don't leave." She'd never seen him this vulnerable and desperate as he was right now. He was literally clinging on to her as if he was afraid she would leave forever, so she quickly assured him otherwise as her heart broke watching him fight back tears. "Blake, you didn't do anything wrong. I know that, don't worry. This is me, and my issues and my insecurities. I just think maybe I should be alone tonight. I leave first thing tomorrow for New York anyway so it might be a good idea to get a good nights sleep." She's stalling and making excuses and he knows it. She can't even look at him as she squirms in his arms instead of melting in them like usual. 

"Gwen, if you leave tonight, you're going to fall into a dark place of insecurity. And so will I. Please stay here. I love you so much baby." They both put their foreheads together and close their eyes and Blake suddenly relaxes feeling like he convinced her to stay. "I love you too Blake. More then anything. But I have to go. I'm sorry." 

It's then that she gives a heartbreaking kiss tasting like salty tears, before grabbing her keys and walking out the door. Blake can do nothing as he stands there stunned and frozen at what just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen cried the entire drive home. She cried while packing for New York. She cried while changing into her pajamas. She cried while crawling into her bed. And she cried when she rolled over realizing how lonely she was without him. The only time they'd slept alone was when they were in different time zones. They were literally 15 minutes apart, and she longed for him like a limb. She hated herself. Hated for how insecure and emotional she was. Hated for leaving. But most of all, hated for making him cry. She'd never hurt him like that. After everything Blake had been through with Miranda, he had just as many insecurities as Gwen did and sometimes she forgot that. One of them being that another woman he loved would leave him. Suddenly she sprang out of bed to the bathroom as she vomited knowing she hurt her true love leaving him alone in his own thoughts. Her imagination went wild as she pictured what he was feeling. Was he mad? Was he hurt? Was he sick of her crazy emotions and issues? Gwen began sobbing as she walked back to her bed when her phone went off. It was a text from Blake. She held her phone tight as she prayed it wasn't a break up text. 

"After you left I started to chase after you and drive to your house, but I stopped myself. I know you want to be alone right now, and it was selfish of me to keep you here. Just know Gwen, that you are the love of my life and I am so so sorry that something I did hurt you and made you doubt that. I promise, if you let me, I will show you that that will never happen again. I love you so much, please let me know you made it home alright." 

She's still crying, but smiling also as she reads his sweet words, relieved he's not dumping her. But she's horrified that he thinks she dumped him and needs to rectify that immediately. So she sends a text back after about twenty minutes of getting the wording right. "I made it home ok, thanks for checking on me. And thank you for giving me space. I love you too baby, so much. I don't want you to think I'm walking out on us, I just have issues and sometimes I need to figure them out on my own if that makes sense. But I'm sorry for hurting you, that's the last thing I'd ever want in the world. I'm still in this for the long haul, I promise. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you Blake. Good night gx." 

He doesn't respond even though he wants to so badly as he clings to his pillow all night wanting to hold her. He can't sleep a wink. He replays everything in his head, and even though Gwen leaving him is gone from his mind thanks to her text, he still is hurting and knows she is too. Blake paces around his whole LA home walking into every room half expecting her to suddenly be in one of them. He knows he's searching for someone not there but he can do nothing else. He even calls his manager asking if they can reshoot the video, that'd he pay for the whole thing or if they can take it down so it can't be seen anymore. Unfortunately, due to contracts, it can't be done. He knew it was a crazy idea but he had to try. He also knows this isn't really about the video. It's bigger then that, Gwens issues are much bigger and more complicated then that. And he doesn't blame her. She went through hell for twenty years and he hopes that he's enough of a man and friend and love to pull her out of it. It's not until 5am when he finally doses off for a few hours before his studio session, still wondering if this was all a nightmare and that she'll suddenly appear next to him when he wakes. 

Gwen didn't sleep much better, if at all. She tried escaping it from her mind but something would always remind her of him and then she'd be back to crying. She used the excuse with him of needing a good night sleep which is why she left. That by itself was hilarious because she found herself nowadays never having a good night sleep without him by her side. Especially during a fight. So when she pried herself out of bed the next morning at 7am her eyes were red and puffy from both crying and sleep deprivation. She was going to see her boys that morning to say bye before her flight to New York so she knew she had to do something about her appearance before they noticed. She checked her phone every five minutes for a text or missed call from Blake but nothing. She's not sure what she expected, she was the one who said she'd call him so clearly it was her call. But Gwen couldn't. And she doesn't know why. Maybe she was embarrassed. Maybe still angry or confused. She doesn't know, so instead she goes on with her morning. She hides the bags under her eyes, puts her suitcase in the case, locks the door and makes her way to see her boys. 

Their lunchtime play date is winding down as Gwen checks the time and sighs when she realizes she has to leave if she wants to make her flight. As she says her goodbyes, giving kisses and I loves you to her children, her heart melts when her oldest adds "momma, I miss Blake" before walking away with the nanny. Luckily she was wearing sunglasses and luckily the kids backs were to her otherwise they would have seen the tears in her eyes because that little person just managed to sum up what she was trying to deny all day. She gets in her Range Rover, trembling, realizing how stupid she had been and wants nothing more then to see him. She picks up her phone, but stops dialing. His house on her way to the airport and she has just enough time to kiss him goodbye. Even if she misses her flight it'll be worth it she says to herself. 

Gwen can't help but smile through her tears as she speeds to his house praying he's back from his studio session he had that morning. She races up to the door, unlocking it with her key and yelling for him throughout the huge house. "Blake? Blake? Are you home?" Nothing. She's heartbroken. She sulks back to her car pouting as she puts it in drive reluctantly, making her way to the airport cursing at herself for being stubborn and embarrassed resulting in her not getting the chance to say goodbye to her love.

What Gwen didn't know, was that Blake wasn't at home because he was pounding on her front door needing to see her before she left. He had been in the studio recording for his new record when he found himself tearing up after every take. It's no wonder considering how every song he wrote was about his love for Gwen Stefani. He had tried so hard not to smother her since she said she would call but he couldn't take it anymore. Blake had to see her before her flight took off. He jumped in his car to make it across town but instead found her mansion empty with her car and suitcase gone. He sat down on the front steps of her house with his hands on the back of his neck feeling more alone then ever. 

He must have just missed her he thought.

Blake sat in his truck parked out front of Gwens house for another twenty minutes before putting it in drive. He couldn't bring himself to drive home alone knowing she wouldn't be there with open arms. He would give anything to be back at his ranch with his girl in his arms kissing her in the morning light out by the stables. To think that was just five days ago.


	5. Chapter 5

As Gwen sat in her seat getting ready for take off, tears streamed down her face. She missed him so badly and just wanted to be in his arms. She wished she could get off that plane and run to wherever he was but she couldn't. She was feeling embarrassment and rejected after going to his house in a desperate plea only to be found alone. Gwen knew it wasn't his fault, and it was a long shot that he would have been back from the studio, but still her disappointment brought her to tears. 

She believed in signs from God, she believed everything happened for a reason, so because of that she didn't tell Blake that she had gone searching for him. Instead she just sent a quick text before liftoff. She might be still hurting from the previous day's events, but she doesn't want to get on a five hour flight without saying goodbye to him. 

Blake had driven home from Gwen's house with a feeling in his stomach that he couldn't shake. "Dammit" he cursed under his breath and through his tears. When he decided to go see her, he could not have been happier. He imagined bursting into her home, finding her in the kitchen, where her face would light up as he grabbed her and kissed her before driving to the airport together. He pictured the whole thing as if it was a scene from a movie with a happy ending. But instead, he found no one and it hurt to his core. He thought this was just a stupid fight, something that would blow over, but her leaving without saying a word made him feel abandoned. Just as he walked into his home, his empty home, his phone buzzed. It's from Gwen. "Thank god" he said out loud as he released a sigh. 

"Hey. Sitting here on the plane about ready to take off." There's a long pause before another text comes in and Blake is relieved that's not all she's willing to say. 

"I'm sorry Blake. For it all. For leaving last night, for leaving right now, I'm sorry. I'm a wreck. The flight attendant won't even take my drink order cuz I'm crying so much." 

Blake wants to call her and hear her voice, but he hesitates. He can tell she's on a roll and needs to get this out. She has a hard time speaking her mind when she's emotional and has always been better writing her feelings down. Hell, she's made a pretty successful career out of that skill. He lets her continue without interruption.

"Watching you look at that girl brought back twenty years of insecurities of wondering whether or not the person I'm with is faithful. I was so ashamed and embarrassed that after this past year with you and all the times you've helped me, I was ashamed that my ex still brought up issues that I clearly need to work on." His heart breaks that something he did made her feel insecure. Even though it wasn't intentional or even really his fault, it was something he vowed never to do as long as she allowed him in her life. He can't help but write back to his girl wishing he was next to her.

"Baby, believe me when I say that I would rather die then hurt you. The fact that you are sitting on a plane waiting to fly away from me, crying over something I did, well it makes me sick to my stomach. I know you have issues cuz of your ex, so do it. But I want to lean on each other to get through them together. I love you so much Gwen, I can't bare to be apart like this." He doesn't mention the fact that he stormed into her house searching for, he's also embarrassed that he couldn't grant her wish by giving her space. He adds a final and simple "I'll miss you." 

She replies quickly sobbing at his genuine words she knows to be true. "I'll miss you too. And I love you too." Gwen then turns her phone off ready to endure the long flight as her mind and imagination and heart go crazy. Blake stares at the last text relieved to get an I love you back, but also wanted more then anything for her to ask him to go to New York to be with her. That was always the plan after all. He would fly in Saturday, watch her perform, go to the after party together, and then they would fly to Las Vegas for the ACM red carpet and she'd watch him perform. That was always the plan, but now things are all up in the air and he couldn't bring himself to ask if he was still invited or if she was still his date on Sunday. He wanted to, but also needed to her ask for him. She's the one that needed space and figure out her feelings and he has to respect that. Plus, he's got issues too, and his pride has been wounded more then once in the last 24 hours by the woman he loved. So he decides to wait and see, and pray that Gwen makes her way back to him.

*******

Wednesday night felt like a haze. Ever since she left LA (more like left Blake) she had been in sort of auto pilot. It reminded her of her darker days with Rossdale when she felt sort of numb, just going from one event to another, signing autographs, hardly smiling. It was rough for Gwen. She checked in the hotel, opted out of dinner with her team saying she felt tired and proceeded to walk up to her room. Alone. She called her boys to say a quick goodnight and grabbed a sleeping pill from her bed. Gwen hardly ever relied on drugs to help cope, but tonight, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep without some assistance. Unfortunately, the only assistance she wanted was the warmth of a tall dark cowboy, but she 'screwed that up' she thought to herself before holding back the tears and popping her head back and swallowing the pill. 

She crawled into bed, looking through pictures to kill time before the effects of the pill kicked in. Gwen has thousands of pictures and videos on her phone, of everything. Family, friends, fans, concerts, fashion shows, interviews, even paparazzi. But as she swipes through all of these she realizes she's searching for one picture in particular. Of Blake. It was taken the night right after he told her he loved her for the first time. He was so nervous that night he couldn't stop fidgeting as they left the Voice studio and drove back to his house. He blurted it out so fast that Gwen almost didn't hear him until he repeated himself as he cupped her cheek and looked deep into her chocolate eyes. "I love you Gwen Stefani. I'm so in love with you. I'm yours. And I will be forever" he had said for the first time before kissing her with so much love and passion her knees went weak. They then made love in front of the fireplace in his living room before cuddling up into each others arms. Gwen remembered the moment as if it was burned into her heart, but she wanted something concrete, so she recalls grabbing her phone to capture the memory for lonely nights in the future... Like in New York City. 

"Aha!" Gwen whispered as she finally found the photo she'd been longing for. She clutched her phone and began to smile. It was the two of them, curled up in each other's arms, with the light of the fire illuminating their faces and clearly naked bodies (although nothing could be seen) with Blake staring down at Gwen with so much love in his eyes that they sparkled even through a picture. She stared and stared and stared never letting the screen of her iPhone go black. She just wanted to be in that moment... Hell she wanted to be in any moment other then this one. "God things were simpler then" she thought to herself. But Before she could let herself get too much into her own self despair, her sleeping pill kicked in and her eyes got heavy. 

Gwen dreamt that night of being back in that photo, laying in front of the fire, holding onto her cowboy, promising never to hurt him as he slept. 

*******

She woke the next morning with luckily a million things to do. Interviews, promos, photo shoots, rehearsals, meet n greets etc. It was jammed packed, and thank god. Maybe this would distract her from constantly looking around the corner expecting to see Blake. As she sat getting ready for rehearsals as her band warmed up, she began wondering about Saturday... And then the ACMs on Sunday. Would he be here? Did he still want her to walk with him? She knows he loves her, and she loves him, but is that enough? Did she push him away too many times to where he doesn't know if he can get hurt again. All of these thoughts cloud her brain and the thing that makes her the most sad is that she wouldn't blame him for feeling any of those things. She did push him away, she did hurt him. Just then, her brother Todd interrupts her thoughts. 

"Hey sis, everything ok? You've looked a little down today? Are you just tired?" 

"Yeah I'm fine, just traveling yeah know?" She averts her eyes which he knows is her tell tale sign of lying. "Cmon Gwen. What's up? Spill." She can't lie to him, never could. Ever since they were kids, they had a deep sibling connection. 

"Blake and I had a fight." She shyly admitted.   
"Yeah I figured. You've been sad ever since we got to the airport, not to mention I haven't seen you FaceTime him at all which is rare for the two of you." This makes Gwen smile a bit because she knows it's true. "I did something stupid Todd. I got mad at him over that stupid video cuz of the girl. Then that just brought up a million of feelings courtesy of Gavin Rossdale. We yelled a little, cried a lot, and I left. I didn't even get a chance to see him before our flight left." Gwen begins crying on her brothers shoulder at this point while sniffling "I'm such an idiot. What if he doesn't forgive me." Todd rubs her back and shushes her like a child. 

"Gwen, you're not an idiot. You're just a woman whose been through hell which is putting it mildly. It's not your fault to have those feelings and insecurities. It's natural and it's also your history." She starts breathing normally at his calm words. "But Gwen, you need to understand that Blake is not Gavin. In any way. The way he looks at you, talks about you, treats you, loves you. Even in your best years of marriage, Gavin never adored you that way. You needed to give him the benefit of the doubt before doing what you usually do and run away. He's your partner, and don't forget that."

She looks at her brother so thankful he's here to snap her out of her dark hole. "Why don't you call him sis, I'm sure he'd love to hear from you." The thought both excited and terrified her "But what if he doesn't want to talk to me? I'm so embarrassed at my behavior. I wouldn't exactly blame him for how crazy I've been." 

"Don't be stupid Gwen. That boy loves you, even when you are a little crazy!" They laugh as he dries her tears a bit more. He hands her her phone and as soon as she unlocks the screen a voice comes on the intercom. "Gwen Stefani to stage 3 for sound check. Gwen Stefani to stage 3 please. Thank you." 

She shrugs at him and puts her phone away a little relieved considering she had no idea what to say. They part as she makes her way to the stage suddenly feeling a little better after her brother/sister talk. As she steps on stage, she asks what song they'll be rehearsing first. They still haven't decided on a second song. "Make me like you" for sure because it's rising on the charts again, but the second half is still a mystery. This isn't like her other albums where there were clear singles and others were fillers. Literally any song on her third album could (and should) be a single. Fans all have their own favorites which warms her heart in ways she can't explain. All she can do is rehearse all the songs from the beginning and hope at show time she'll know what to sing. First up to rehearse: Misery. 

'Where'd you go?  
I got so used to being 'round you boy  
I'm tryin' not to care about where'd you go  
I'm doing my best to be sensible  
I'm tryin' not to care about

You're like drugs, you're like drugs to me  
I'm so in to you totally  
You're like drugs, you're like drugs to me  
Drugs to me

So put me out of my misery, hurry up come see me  
Put me out of my misery, hurry up come see me  
Enough. enough of this suffering, hurry up come see me  
Put me out of my misery, put me out of my misery...'

If she wasn't missing Blake like crazy before, she was now. Gwen BARELY made it through the song written about longing for her love to come to her. She remembers writing this song in the fall before the live shows had started. The two of them had spent so much time together during blinds, and battles, and knock outs that when he had to go back to Tish for a week to deal with business on the ranch she realized how much she missed him hanging around her. It was written and meant as a light hearted sort of misery. Like when you miss your crush over a long weekend apart, nothing too heavy like 'Used to Love You.' But right now, singing these lyrics, her heart is quite literally in misery longing for him. 

Gwen needs a minute before going into the next song. Her band mates are used to her getting emotional during songs, she's a true artist after all, but this was different. They could all tell she needed more then just a minute to compose herself, so her assistant quietly asked everyone to leave, giving her the room. As Gwen stood there, alone on the stage in New York City, her mind once again went to Blake. Except this time, it wasn't of beautiful memories from this past year, it was of their future. THEIR future. Gwen realized that despite all that happened, the jealousy, the insecurities, she still saw no one but him in her future, by her side. 

She pictured being in Tish for the Fourth of July while fireworks went off, trick or treating with the growing boys in funny costumes, napping on the couch after eating too much from thanksgiving and then having three rowdy boys wake them up Christmas morning excited about Santa. It went even further though then just the next year. She pictured him proposing, her saying yes, their wedding, maybe adopting, birthday parties, anniversaries, graduations... She pictured it all. With him. It's as if a light bulb went off over her head. Even though she always knew she wanted this with him, the past few days made her doubt and get scared that her insecurities and past history would win over her. But he's different then anyone she's ever met and yet so perfectly familiar at the same time. He's not Gavin. He won't hurt her, he won't leave her, he won't belittle her, and he for sure won't ever cheat her. 

A flood of emotions overwhelmed her in seconds. It all made sense to her in this moment. Everything. Sure her issues might still be there but as long as they were together, they could accomplish anything she thought. And Gwen needed him. She needed to hear his voice; she needed to see his face; she needed to feel his touch; she needed to kiss his lips. She needed him. Right. Now. 

Happy tears started pouring down her cheeks as she frantically searched for her phone in her giant purse. As she clicked on his icon hearing the other line ring waiting to be picked up her stomach went to knots as she realized she had no idea what to say. 

"Please pick up. Please pick up." She prayed out loud suddenly nervous he was screening her call. 

"Gwen?" Thank god. Her face became less tense just at the sound of his voice. It has been three days since she'd heard his twang. 

"Blake! Thank god you picked up." 

"Of cour-" he began to talk but Gwen cut him off. 

"Please babe, let me talk. I'm going to try and get this out but i'll probably come off like a babbling mess so just bare with me." She nervously laughed trying to break the tension. 

"You know me Blake. You know me better then people I've know for twenty years. You know my history, you know how much I've been hurt, how much I've been cheated on, how much I've been dragged through the mud. You know that when someone goes through that for an entire marriage, it's natural to revert back to those fears, back to those those paranoias." She pauses trying to compose herself and catch her breath. "But I realized that none of that has anything to do with you. You've been amazing since the very beginning, you've been patient, kind, loving. Everything I could have asked for in a true love. You are the complete opposite of him in every way and I'm sorry if i ever thought otherwise.... But most of all I'm sorry for hurting you Blake. Sometimes, I selfishly get caught up in my own issues forgetting you literally went through the same thing. I'm sorry I walked out and wasn't stronger for you, for us." She can hear Blake sniffling on the other end at this point. She continues "I don't care about the music video, I don't care about what's her face dancing around it, I love you more then anything and I just want to see you. I need to see you. I want you here with me in this city, I want to be on your arm on the red carpet on Sunday, and I want to go home with you where I'll fall asleep on your chest wrapped in your warmth. Please Blake...If you'll have me." 

Gwen lets out a big sigh when she finished, almost like everything she said was a huge weight off of her shoulder. But still there was silence on the other line. Did they get disconnected? Did he hang up? "Blake?" She asked with a shaky voice. 

"Gwen, turn around."


	6. Chapter 6

Two days earlier:

Blake walked around his LA mansion lost. Part of him was relieved at what Gwen texted him as she sat on the plane but it was still heartbreaking watching her run away from him. He knows there's more to it, and he can't really blame her, but her leaving him is how he felt. He wanted nothing more then to be with her, hold her, make her laugh. But that wasn't an option right now.

He went straight to the liquor cabinet out of habit, wanting a drink to make him forget about everything. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, and part of him wanted to just down a bottle of vodka and wake up days from this moment, from this feeling. As he stood there staring at all the spirits, he slowly closed the door and walked away. Blake didn't want to be that guy anymore. He drank far too much during his marriage and divorce with Miranda, and now that he was with Gwen and the boys, he hardly ever got drunk anymore. She never asked him to stop, she would never do that, but he wanted to and you could tell Gwen appreciated it. She loved that he started to put her kids first, that he wanted to be a good role model, a good step dad someday, it warmed her heart. So he turned down the drink, even though the loneliness was almost too much to handle. 

Blake sat on his balcony watching the Los Angeles sunset rereading her texts from the past week or so. Some funny, some dirty, most sweet. All brought a smile to his face as he quickly remembered the situation all of them were sent. 

"I don't know why but you holding a fishing pole right now is really turning me on ;-) gx." 

"God I love you. I don't know what I did to deserve you in my life gx." 

"Meet me behind our tree in 10 minutes. I miss your lips :) gx." 

His chest starts hurting as his mind starts wandering and praying that these won't be the last of her "gx's." As much as he wants a shot of something to numb the pain he once again resists as he makes his way to his room and crawls into bed. It's still early as he probably won't be able to sleep, but nothing else sounds appealing. 

Blake's mind literally won't shut off. He starts going into every extreme of what he should have done. "I shouldn't have let her leave. I shouldn't have let her drive away. I should have pounded on her door until she let me in. I should have gotten to her sooner. I should have gone to the airport." He knows he's circling the drain at this point but he still decides to twist the knife even further in his misery by putting on Gwen's new album. Putting aside the fact that most songs are about him, he simply loves to hear her voice. Blake could listen to her talk for hours which actually works out because sometimes she rambles. And right now he misses her rambling, he misses her bashful giggle, he misses her say 'rad' and 'like' twenty times in one sentence. God he just misses her so much. 

Just as 'Truth' is finishing up he picks up his phone to call her... But stops. Because the real truth is, Blake is hurting too. He's hurt she ran away, he's hurt she doubted him. He understands it's not cause of something he did, but still, he's a little offended Gwen's mind went there and her answer was to jump on a plane. Miranda used to do that to him. They'd get in a huge fight, go to bed angry, and when he'd wake up she would be gone. Either to her next concert, home to Texas or just on some girls bender. Never once saying good bye. He hates that something Gwen has done reminds him of Miranda. Other then both being blondes, they were the complete opposite. Gwen was kind, warm, gentle, motherly, nerdy, sexy, rockstar, goddess... And Miranda well, was not. But both ran away from him. And he hated how his mind compared. Blake shook the idea from his head just 'Me Without You' came on slowly lulling him to sleep. 

******

Thursday morning he woke up feeling hungover. Not from alcohol but from a restless night. Blake tossed and turned all night rolling over in search of his blonde cuddle buddy that was no where to be found. As awful as he feels this morning, he secretly knows that he'd rather feel heartache from Gwen Stefani then not feel anything at all. 

He's supposed to go into the studio and rehearse for the ACMs but his mind is somewhere else... On someone else. He needs to talk to someone. Adam is his best friend in Los Angeles and he helped him with his divorce but something about talking to him makes him uneasy. Adam was skeptical of the two of them dating last summer. Blake knows it came from a place of love, not wanting either getting hurt, but he's also scared that if he goes to Adam for advice over a fight he'll have to endure a lot of "I told you so's." So he passes. Besides, he needs someone who really knows Gwen, the way Blake knows Gwen. The real Gwen Renee. 

"Hey Blake, how's it going?" Jen Stefani answer the phone, cheerful, considering how early Blake called. 

"Hey Jen, I'm sorry for calling so early, but do you mind if I come over? I could use someone to talk to." 

"Is this about Gwen? Todd called last night in New York and said she was quiet and sort of off ever since they met at the airport." Just hearing someone else say her name out loud made his stomach turn to knots. "Yeah, it is. I don't know what to do."

"Come on over Blake. I'll see you in 15." 

Blake pulled up to Todd and Jens house less then a half hour later. He loved her brother and sister in law. They were great people, with great morals and values, and most of all he loved them for everything they had done for Gwen. She's close with all of her siblings but these three really have each other's back and it's something he greatly admired. After spending a week with them and the kids in Tish he feels like they are his brother and sister too. 

"Morning Blake... Whoa you look like hell. Rough night?" Jen answers the door with her littlest son on her hip and Blake suddenly misses Apollo on his mamas hip more then life itself. "Rough is putting it mildly." 

"Alright. Spill mister." Blake started explaining the whole story: the music video, the fight, Gwen leaving. As he said it all out loud, he realized how stupid all of it was. Like was this really what was ruining his high right now? A music video? It sounded stupid to him because it was stupid. But he knows these issues are much deeper then what appears, and Jen knows that too. 

"Blake, you know everything she's been through. And out of all of it, the pain, the grief, the loss, the anger, the scandal, out of all of it, the feelings she can't escape the most is embarrassment. Embarrassment and shame follow her around everyday. Gwen didn't get out of bed or leave the house for almost three months because she was so embarrassed for being played... And played so publicly for twenty years. She turned her back on so many signs for so many years that when she finally pulled the trigger and should have felt relief, she mostly felt shame for not listening or doing it sooner." Blake is sitting quietly taking this all in, although most of it he knew already. "What does this have to do with me though Jen? Why did she run away from me?" 

"I think it's cuz deep down she's scared of getting played by you. Not scared, terrified actually. She's terrified of waking up and you'll be gone. You've done nothing wrong but that's where her mind will always go, at least for now considering how recent her wounds were." 

"I would never hurt her Jen, you know that. I'm not playing her, I'm not going to embarrass her. Gwen and the boys are everything to me." Blake is half choked up and half heated trying to get this out calmly. "It's hard hearing that she's scared I'll leave when she literally ran away from me. It hurt Jen." This is the most open he's been with someone other then Gwen and Adam, and he doesn't know what made him say it. She can sense this as she gently puts her hand on Blake's arm just as his big sister Endy would do. 

"I'm sorry Blake. When Gavin started turning his back on Gwen years and years ago, she started to do the same. I think she kept expecting him to chase after her if she got distant but he never did so she thought it was natural. That's the thing Blake, she's not doing any of this out of attention or to play hard to get. She's doing it because it's all she's ever ever known and so she thinks this is how it's supposed to be done." That's the moment a lightbulb went off for Blake and it all became more obvious. Jen continued "She's never had anyone hold her when she cries, or want to listen to her talk about boring stuff or important stuff. She's never had anyone stick around during a fight without getting quiet and leaving. She's never had anyone reassure her that it's ok to feel what she's feeling without be called an idiot. She's just had lies Blake. She's had abuse, she's had abandonment, she's had loneliness. It was torture for us all to watch so I can't even imagine what it was to experience."

Blake's eyes are tearing up at this point. He's heard the majority of all of Gwens stories. They are intense and heartbreaking, but being reminded of the level of pain she was in for not just this past year but off and on for twenty years makes him want to puke. He has to find her, he has to see her.

"Thanks Sis, I appreciate the talk. I'm so thankful that not only Gwen has you in her life but so do I." As he gives a heartfelt felt hug to what he hopes is his future sister in law, she adds "Anytime. And trust me, we are all beyond thankful for you. You truly saved our sister." Blake beams with a slight smile as he walks to his car. 

Jen shouts out with a smile "Say hi to my husband in New York ok?" Blake looks up perplexed "How'd you know I was going to New York right?"

"Cuz you're not like anyone she's met. And I mean that in a good way. Go find her cowboy. And good luck." And with that Blake got in his car, drove directly to the airport, bought a ticket at the counter and within an hour he was sitting on a plane on his way to JFK. 

He didn't sleep or even notice the five hour flight which usually leaves him exhausted. His mind was solely on his blonde rockstar that he couldn't wait to see. Blake was equally nervous and excited to see her not knowing how she'd take him just showing up. But after hearing Jen explain she's never had anyone fight for her, he sure as hell was going to show her just how worth it she truly was. The plane landed and he sprinted off getting into his black car he had texted his assistant to have ready for him. He had known Gwen's schedule from earlier in the week so he knew she was in rehearsals at SNL so he asked the driver to head to 30 Rockefeller as fast as possible. 

Walking into the huge building, Blake has no clue where to go. Thankfully just as the elevator doors open, Todd Stefani along with her band and crew walk out. "Todd! Thank god!" Blake exclaims. "Wow, you're here? Does Gwen know?"

"No my plane just landed, it wasn't planned I just had to talk to her. Do you know where she is? I'm so lost." Todd smiles, shakes his hand and directs him to the 15th floor. "I'm so happy you're here buddy. She's been lost too." Just before the elevator doors close with Blake inside, he shouts out jokingly "You're wife says hello by the way." 

The doors open and he makes his way to the musical guest rehearsal stage. It's quiet, it feels almost deserted and he wonders if he's in the right spot. His stomach starts getting butterflies realizing he has nothing prepared to say. Just then, his phone vibrates. It's from Gwen. Does she see him? Is she calling to break up? To apologize? 

"Gwen?" 

"Blake- Thank God you answered." Her voice is frantic and Blake gets scared that something is actually wrong. But then she starts talking. Well, rambling actually. She starts explaining her feelings, apologizing for her behavior, and most importantly wanting him next to her. In the mean time of listening to Gwen bare everything to him, Blake has been searching this enormous studio following her voice. It's echoing on the other line so he knows he's close. He turns a corner and suddenly there she is. Shes sitting on the edge of the poorly lit stage, hunched over clutching her phone as she sniffles into it. Gwen's back is to him otherwise she'd have seen him smile with relief upon finally finding her. He must have been lost in his own mind because all of a sudden he heard her desperately on the other line "Blake?" 

"Gwen-turn around." 

******

Gwen jumps a little at the voice standing behind her in what she thought was an empty stage. What she finds is a six foot five curly haired man with piercing blue eyes that seem to be staring right into her soul. She finds her cowboy. The tension is thick as neither makes a move. But as soon as Blake takes one step forward, she loses any kind of self control as she runs towards him into his arms. 

They bury themselves into one another. Both of their faces lodged into the others neck and hair, not wanting to let go terrified someone might walk away. Gwen starts sniffling and shaking a bit from happiness and also nervousness. Blake pulls away from their embrace only to wipe her tears and look right at her. Whenever Blake does this, it's practically her undoing. His ice blues eyes meeting her deep chocolate ones always seem to burn straight into her heart, and this time more then ever. He wipes her tears gently off her cheeks and gives her a soft kiss. 

Even though it's only only been two days since they've seen or kissed each other and they've gone weeks before in the past, this has felt like forever for them. The two of them simply melt into each other not saying a word as joyous tears fall one at a time from Gwens eyes. The kiss started out sweet and loving but when their tongues breifly touched Blake let out a slight moan into her mouth causing her to smile and giggle. They separate, resting only their foreheads together, still in each others arms. 

"You're here." Gwen whispers with her eyes closed, still feeling the effects of his lips. 

Blake sniffles a little," Of course I'm here."

"You found me." 

"I'll always find you Gwen." 

It's then that Blake picks her up with her arms around his neck spinning her around kissing her cheek making her laugh as his scruff tickles her. "I'm sorry darlin', I just had to see you. Sitting around the house leaving the way we left things was driving me crazy." 

"Don't apologize babe, I'm the one who ran away. I'm sorry for everything. I'm still working on my issues, and I wish I could promise you I won't get scared again but I don't know if I'm there yet. I want to be though." Blake smiles a little showing his dimples slightly making Gwens stomach flip flop, a feeling she's missed the past few days. "It's ok Gwen that you have concerns, that's not something you need to hide away from me. I just want to be next to you when these times arise, I don't want you to run away from me, I want you to lean on me, and break on me." Gwens smiling so much right now. She spent her entire life being ashamed of her emotions, embarrassed of her insecurities, always being told she's crazy or she needs to hide them from the man she was with. Hearing Blake say he wants to help her and hold her hand through them makes her heart explode.

"Just please don't run away from me Gwen." His voice has gotten shakey, low, and a little serious. Gwen is reminded from his tone that this wasn't all about her, she actually really hurt him by taking off like that. "I can't bare watching you walk away. I'm a strong guy Gwen and can take almost anything, but Not knowing if you were coming back was making me sick." Gwen cups his face as his eyes are now on the ground, pulling them to meet hers. She's ashamed of her behavior, but she knows he's also embarrassed for admitting his insecurities just now so she has to be the strong one. "I won't Blake. I'm not going to run anymore. You're the only one I want to run to, I promise. God I love you so much cowboy." She brings him in for a light kiss as he smiles into her lips. 

They separate as they hear a forced cough coming from the stage manager behind them "Excuse me, Miss Stefani? Sorry to interrupt but we really have to get back to rehearsing." They smile at each other squeezing the others hand before Gwen adds "Yeah of course, I'm sorry about that, you can call everyone back in. I'm ready." Blake loves the command Gwen has in a room. She's never bossy or inconsiderate or a diva, but she does have this power and energy that everyone feels and is drawn too, and he also admits, turns him on. He's also touched that she basically was missing him so much that she had to empty the room to call him. Don't get him wrong, he doesn't like hearing her in pain but it also made him feel a little good at the same time. 

"Do you want to stay and watch babe? It'll only be a little bit longer and then we can grab dinner and go back to the hotel?" She said while biting her bottom lip, a habit indicating shyness or sexual tension... or both. Blake smiles, kissing her forehead "There's no where I'd rather be baby girl." He walks over to sit in one of the folding chairs, front and center, as Gwen sets up with her band mates and back up singers. 

"Hey guys, let's rehearse 'Rare' this time." The music starts up and Blake's face lights up instantly recognizing the song. The majority of the songs on her new record were about him but something about Rare made it "his" song more then any other. As she starts singing she can't help but beam as she serenades her love in the audience. Finally feeling like herself again. 

********

After rehearsals and some interviews, Gwen and Blake left the SNL studios and headed to dinner at the hotel restaurant with Todd and Lizzie, Gwens assistant. The two lovebirds could not keep their eyes or hands off of each other. Any time one would stray more then arms length away the other would subtlety make up the difference. Blake would gently put his arm on the small of Gwens back pulling her in close in a protective manner and Gwen would grab securely onto the back hem of Blakes button down navy shirt indicating she wanted his arm around her. The night was filled with food, drinks, laughter, stories, music, friends, family, and of course, love. After desert, the bar they were at started playing one of Gwens favorite Carol King songs, "Will you still love me tomorrow." Blake never misses an opportunity to touch his lady so he seized the chance to ask her to slow dance once he noticed her swaying in her seat. 

"Can I have this dance ma'am?" he says extra twangy and extra sexy as he puts out his hand for her to grab. Gwen smiles and blushes as she gently places her hand in his. He guides them to the dance floor (which isn't a dance floor but just an empty area since no one else is dancing) and pulls her close. Blake can barely dance, it's usually more in a goofy way that always makes Gwen laugh, but when he slow dances with her, she literally dies. The way he pulls her close, holds tight but not too tight, while humming or singing softly into her ear, it literally makes her wet every time and this is no different. She can feel his breath on her bare shoulders and she needs to remind herself that they're in public. 

She pushes away, just slightly before the tension gets too high to bare, and looks into her boyfriend's eyes while listening to the lyrics of the song. "So cowboy, will you still love me tomorrow?" She jokingly asks, even though the question hits closer to home then she actually wants to admit. Blake stops swaying to the music, cups her face with both her hands and answers "Baby, I'll love you tomorrow, next week, next year, for as long as I'm breathing, I'll love you forever." It's then that he pulls her into a kiss that causes her knees to go weak. She literally has to hold on to him as her stomach does summersaults and a flood of moisture goes between her legs. Gwen can't wait any longer. It may have only been a few days, but to her it's felt like a year. She needs Blake. 

"Baby, please." She whimpers into his mouth.

"What's wrong darlin', What do you need?" His kisses are becoming more determined, he knows what he's doing to her. 

"I need you to take me to bed. Right now baby. Please." Blake smiles slightly before leading the two of them out of the bar and straight to the elevator. They don't even notice Todd or Lizzie who must have left during their make out to the song, getting the hint. Once the elevator doors close and Blake hits the top button for Gwens penthouse, she practically jumps him. She grabs is head down to her and shoves her tongue down his throat while his hands go to grabbing her ass furiously. They are kissing each other as if there lives depended on it. Blake makes a small moan causing Gwen to shiver into him indicating how turned on both of them are. 

They separate while both panting and trying to catch their breaths just as the doors begin to open. "Well I think we just gave those video cameras in their a good show honey" Blake teases as Gwen hides her face behind his arm. God he loves how bashful she still gets. They walk hand in hand as Blake takes her key opening the door like the southern gentleman he is. The room is huge, beautiful, and pitch black. The ceiling high windows showcase the skyline of Manhattan and illuminate the room enough to make it possible for them to see. 

Gwen holds onto Blakes hand as she guides him to her bedroom. Even though they were sloppily making out in the elevator, time has seemed to slow down for them. This isn't a make up fuck or some quickie, they can tell from each other's eyes that this will be different. 

Blake begins kissing her slowly, and passionately. No one is rushing anything. They have all night, they have their whole lives. She runs her fingers through his curls, a sensation she didn't realized she had missed so much. During this passionate interaction, Blakes erection is growing against her thigh by the second making her all the more wet and in need of him inside her. While standing against the bed, Blake starts grinding slowly into her causing her to hold on tighter and moan into his mouth. 

Not able to handle the amount of clothes on between them, Gwen breaks away pulling Blakes hands up to unbutton her blouse. He takes the lead, slowly but carefully taking her top off. He's never undressed her this intensely. It's usually pretty frantic at this point so it's really making him get choked up to be honest. As he pulls the blouse and bra off of her, he can feel her quivering. "Are you ok baby?" He asks softly. 

She hesitates a little "Yeah, just a little nervous I guess. I know this'll sound stupid, but It almost feels like our first time." Blake gets choked up even more at this admission because he actually felt the same way and he doesn't know why. "Don't be nervous Gwen, it's just me." He wraps his arms around her bare back giving her a loving kiss, "I love you." 

"I love you too." And with that, her shaking stopped and she was ready to show him how much she loved him. 

He lowered her gently down onto the bed resting half of his weight on top of her and the other on the mattress. They never broke their kiss as she began undressing him, just as slow and meticulous as he had done with her. Pretty soon the two of them were just in their underwear: Blake in navy blue boxer briefs and Gwen in a white lace thong. Under the covers, Blakes right hand started making its way south to Gwen's hot, wet center. He slowly dipped a finger in to her to test the waters. She moaned slightly at his touch causing him to smile out of pride. "God I've missed your hands on me baby." Blake has always been good with his hands but the way Gwen always responds to him is enough to make him come in his pants. Her moans and twitches while his digits are in her hot liquid entrance causes him to lose his breath. 

"You're so wet for me baby. So... Fucking...Wet. Every time. God that's so hot." Blake is saying this between kisses and his breathing is becoming hoarse. Gwen wants to feel him inside of her but before she can tear away from his lips on her lips, her legs start trembling. Normally Blake recognizes the warning signs and starts a little dirty talk and encouragement to send her over the edge, but neither want to break away from the others kiss causing her orgasm to come as a bit of a surprise as mid make out she's screaming into his mouth as she clutches on to his wrist. Before her first climax ends, he's back to kissing her, gently rubbing his tongue all over hers. 

Gwen can feel his rock hard erection poking into her thigh from his boxers as she makes her way down to pull his underwear off his hips and grabs his silky smooth dick. Blake slowly pulls his fingers out of Gwen causing her to stutter as she braces herself for what's about to happen. He places one of his hands on his dick, on top of hers, to line it up and the other hand holds onto her pelvis. Gwen gives a slight nod indicating she's ready and leans in brushing their lips together while he slowly but firmly pushing himself inside of her. 

No matter how many times they've had sex, she's always tight and always taken by surprise by his girth. He slowly pushes in further, waiting for her walls to get used to him, until he is completely sunken into her. Her moans come out as if she is in pain with for a split second scares Blake but she always follows it with a smile. She slowly starts moving her hips counter to his as they never stop kissing. This is the true definition of love making between the two of them and neither want it to stop.

"God baby, this is perfect. I never want this to end" Gwen gets out in a breathy voice with her eyes watering. Their moans are even in sync as they both feel the other nearing the edge. The way Blake is furrowing his brow shows Gwen that he's trying his hardest to make this last as long as possible even though he's ready to explode. She starts pulling him in deeper while clenching down on his dick inside her. Blake doesn't want to come before her so he accepts the challenge and starts pounding into her more forcefully with nothing but their screams and noises of their bodies slapping into each other to fill the hotel room. 

"Fuck Gwen I love making love to you" he barely blurts out "but I don't know how much longer I can last." She giggles into his mouth as she clings on to him rocking back and fourth. "It's ok baby, I want you to come inside me please." 

"You first" which came out a little rough to his ears and he hoped she didn't take it the wrong way. Before he could think about it too long her body started trembling as she wrapped her legs around him pulling him deeper then ever into her. Gwens breathing began sputtering as Blake decided to do one deep thrust as he hit that spot within her that makes her vision go. Gwen was a goner as her second orgasm hit more powerfully and she screamed out "Fuck! Baby!" Her walls clamped down on his dick causing his own orgasm to begin. They both screamed each others names as they clung to one another under the sheets in their swanky New York penthouse. 

Blake's orgasm seemed to last forever as he continued to kiss Gwen and slowly thrust into her emptying every last drop until his strength was completely gone. Afterwards, no longer able to hold himself up, he lowered himself onto her, resting his head on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his sweaty hair. Normally he would find himself struggling to stay awake after that work out but he can't stop staring at Gwen as she cradles him like a child while looking out the window at the city. She must feel him staring up at her because she turns her head to meet him and smiles with those bedroom eyes of hers that makes his heart skip. 

"Wow" he says softly. "That was like..." He searches for the words but can't find it. 

"Magical. That was magical baby" she finishes his statement once again proving how in sync they are. Gwen tries to hold her tears back but to no suffice. He leans up wiping a tear away before pulling her into his embrace with her head now on her shoulder as she plays with his little chest hairs and giggle. They lay like that for awhile before getting out of bed to clean up and get ready for sleep after changing into pajamas (Blake had to buy some "I love NYC" pajama bottoms at the hotel gift shop a long with a toothbrush since he didn't even pack a bag before jumping on a plane. When Gwen heard that she could do nothing but kiss the hell out of him in the car ride to dinner). They crawl back into bed, kiss each other goodnight, and Blake opens his arms inviting Gwen to lay her head on his chest, knowing its her favorite position. She gladly obliges while snaking a leg in between his. 

Within minutes Blake is asleep and Gwen will soon follow. But for now she just wants to thank God for this man being here with her. 24 hours earlier she lied in this same bed, alone, clutching her phone crying at a picture of him. And now she has everything she wanted. She knows they'll still be obstacles to face and that her issues were very much still there, but she wasn't scared anymore. As long as she had him next to her, she was ready for anything. 

But she'll think about all of that some more tomorrow. For now, all she wants to do is enjoy this magical night in the city for as long as her eyes will allow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys- glad you're all enjoying it so far. This is kind of a short, filler chapter. I love reading your comments :) Thanks for the love!

Gwen awoke the next morning feeling a chill in the bed. She was one of those people that was always cold, especially in bed, which is one of the many reasons she loved sleeping with Blake Shelton. She would often roll over burying herself into the warmth of his embrace as he would always instinctively lift his arm for her. They were both such natural sleepers that they could sleep in any position, not needing or wanting any space between. Whether his arm was spooning her waist from behind or her hand was resting on his chest, they were always connected. The complete opposite from their previous sleeping partners. Miranda hated to cuddle and would often push as far away as possible on the bed claiming she couldn't sleep with Blake suffocating her. And Gavin was such a light and high maintenance sleeper that Gwen would most likely wake up with him having moved to the guest room to sleep ridiculing her for moving around too much in her sleep. Needless to say, lying around and napping in bed or on the couch became Gwen and Blake's favorite past times.

So when the morning chill woke her up that morning, she naturally stretched her arm and leg out, eyes still closed, in search of her of her warm bodied cowboy. But the bed was empty. And considering how cold his side of the bed was it had been empty for awhile. Gwen's eyes shot open. He's probably in the shower or making calls in the other room she told herself. But then her mind went to another extreme she hated. What if he didn't like sleeping with her anymore and is on the couch? What if he got on a plane and left? What if he's still hurt and doesn't know if he can handle her and her emotions? Gwen started to get a lump in her throat as she slipped on her robe and made her way into the living room of this gorgeous suite wondering where Blake was. Luckily, she didn't have to wonder for too long as she saw her beautiful man, standing on the balcony, leaning over the edge sipping a cup of coffee. His back was to her so she couldn't see his face, but she could tell Blake was staring intently out at the skyline as the morning sun hit the buildings. 

Gwen walked up slowly behind him onto the chilly balcony wrapping her arms around his waist. He had been leaning over the ledge so low that it allowed her to place her chin on his shoulder, something she could rarely do without assistance from heels or his lift. She nuzzled her nose into his morning scruff as she felt him smile and release a content sigh. "Whatcha thinking about cowboy?" He lifts his arm over her head, bringing her body in front of his placing her back against the ledge, caging her in. "You. I'm always thinking about you and us and the kids and what's next." Gwen rested her forehead on his chest closing her eyes, still not quite awake while grabbing onto the pockets of his pajama pants. "Mmm that's nice." 

It was quiet for awhile, neither one wanting to part. Their lives were so hectic and crazy and jam packed that moments in the early mornings and moments late at night were a lot of times the only ones they had just to themselves. So they always vowed to take advantage of them as much as possible. But at some point, they had to get back to reality. 

"What times your flight honey?" Since Blake had dropped everything the day before to fly out to New York, he had missed a lot of interviews and rehearsals for the ACMs making it impossible for him to stay for Gwen's SNL performance. He was bummed to leave but he didn't regret how things turned out for a second. Jumping on that plane was one of the best decisions he'd ever made (the first one being to ask Gwen out on a date). He groaned a little into her hair reluctantly answering "Eleven. A car will be here in a couple hours." Blake could feel Gwen's face tighten and pout causing him to wrap his arms around her tighter kissing the top of her bed before asking "Can we go back to bed baby? I'm not ready to let go quite yet." 

Gwen looked up with her sleepy brown eyes into his baby blues, placing her hand behind his ears and pulling him down for a loving kiss with a hint of lust. Not breaking their lip lock, Blake picked her up bridal style carrying her back onto their bed where they said their goodbyes through some pretty incredible morning sex. 

*****  
The rest of the day and Saturday went by smoothly. Both of them were back in the zone and focused now that they were back on track, more in love, if that's even possible. Blake went straight to Las Vegas where he hung out with old friends like Luke Bryan and Brett Eldredge while rehearsing his first live performance of Cane Here To Forget and Gwen was busy with interviews and having an absolute blast on SNL. But through it all, they were always connected, constantly texting and face timing whenever they had a free second. 

Friday after all her sound checks were done, Gwen decided to call it an early night since Saturday was going to be late with the show, then the after party, and then the red eye to Vegas. She got into her hotel room, exhausted, only to find a beautiful bouquet of lilies right when she walked in. She gasped at the sheer size of this bouquet of her favorite flowers as she searched for a card. 

"Gwen- I hope this makes up for the fact that I won't be able to cheer you on from the audience. I wish more then anything that I could be there to watch you kill it! I can't wait to have you back in my arms. Knock em' dead sweetheart. I love you.  
-Always, YOUR Cowboy." 

Gwen's eyes filled as she held the note to her heart smiling up at God wondering if this was real. And then finally thanking God that it was. She sprinted to her phone, taking a selfie of herself smelling her beautiful flowers followed by a quick text and heart emoji. "Wow baby, these are beautiful! What a great surprise to come home to! I know you're in rehearsals right now so text or call me later. I'll be in my room, alone, taking a bubble bath, missing your lips :) gx." She smiled to herself proudly as she walked over to the bathtub to fill with water, knowing that once he did check his phone, his imagination would go crazy. 

She placed her phone on the tub ledge and slowly dipped her toe in to test the temperate. She lowered herself gently until she was completely submerged, resting her head on a folded towel and closing her eyes. Gwen thought only of one thing: Blake Shelton. Her whole body started tingling as her mind went into overdrive remembering the past twenty four hours. Her nipples hardened as she slowly brushed her fingertips over them shyly, smiling and blushing as if someone else was in the room. 

Gwen was barely touching herself but she still had an "oh god" escape her lips and she knew this relaxing bath was about to take a different turn then initially expected. She felt herself getting wetter and warmer between her legs as she slowly brought her right hand down rubbing lightly above her entrance. She flashed black to slow dancing up against his strong frame, making out nasty in the elevator where security was bound to be watching, how he undressed her slowly before dipping his fingers into her pussy bringing her to her first orgasm of the night and then finally making love to her with his silky hard cock under the sheets until they came together. 

It's this final memory that makes Gwen begin touching herself more determined and dip two of her fingers in making her back arch up into a bow while her mouth hangs open. Even though she's the one in control, the sensation still took her by surprise. Her memories continue as she begins pinching her nipple with one hand while the other slowly pumps in and out of her squishing lips. The thoughts of the morning fuck they had just twelve hours ago was enough to send her over the edge immediately but she wanted this feeling to last as long as possible. When Blake had carried her to bed from the balcony, she had thought it would be a sweet love making session but it turned into something much more full of lust and desire. 

He had ripped off her robe and striped her of her sleep shorts and panties so furiously that she still has no idea where they got thrown to in her hotel bedroom. He then made his way down her body burying his face into her wet pussy. "God I've missed tasting you baby girl" he moaned into her lips, his deep drawl vibrating her clit causing her to tremble uncontrollably. He had brought her to two mind blowing orgasms while mouth fucking her, leaving her whole body limp. He honestly would have gone for a third climax in that position if Gwen hadn't of begged him for a kiss. She was almost embarrassed at how much of her juices covered his face when he emerged from between her legs but she also knew that making her come like that was something Blake was immensely proud of. 

Back in the tub, Gwen's whole body started breaking out in goosebumps as she stuck a third finger into herself still reminiscing over this mornings activity with her sexy cowboy. Once Blake had finished feasting on her molten lava, he gave her a sloppy kiss where she could taste herself before being flipped over onto her side. He had one arm wrapped around her tightly holding on to her breast while the other lined up his dripping cock with her entrance from behind. She remembers trembling in anticipation causing her to tremble identically in the bathtub as she moaned out from her own touch. 

"What do you want me to do to you Gwen?" Blake asked into her ear as he slowly sucked on her lobe from behind, a move he knew from experience drove her crazy. "I want you to fuck me Blake, Please baby, please fuck me now." Her plea came out so desperate that Blake couldn't help by smile and laugh as he slowly pushed allllll the way into her causing a whimper to escape her lips before a loud "Fuck!" That was the last slow move though as he started pounding into her as Gwen called out for him to not stop and go harder. So he obliged causing her to come two more times before his own release leaving them both seeing stars. 

The memory is much too real and recent that as soon as she remembers the feeling of Blakes warm seed spilling into her and his body trembling from behind up against her back, she lets go and screams out his name in the bathtub as her orgasm hits. It lasted longer then she was expecting as she continued finger fucking herself through it picturing his lips on her neck and shoulder. As she finally comes down from her high and gets her breathing under control, she buries herself behind her soaking wet hands (half from bath water, half from her own climax) giggling. "I can't believe I just did that" she says to herself as she blushes. 

Just as her tingling subsides, her FaceTime app starts ringing and she knows it's Blake. 

"Hey baby girl! Whoa are you in the tub still? Lucky me! Hold on let me go somewhere more private. I don't want any of these other country hicks eyeing my girl naked in the tub."

She watched him move outside to what looked like an empty alley way.

"Hey handsome, yeah I'm still soaking in the bubbles. But if you had called ten minutes earlier, you would have gotten quite a show." She smiled suspiciously. 

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Gwen giggled "Let's just say your still giving me mind blowing orgasms even from across the country." 

"Holy shit?!? Are you serious darlin? Damnit! I wish I could have seen that! Actually I wish I was there to give you the real thing." Blake gave his crooked smile that always made her heart skip. "Me too baby, thinking about your lips on me and fingers touching me makes my body tremble."

"Alright well I'm getting turned the fuck on right now looking at you in a tub thinking about you touching yourself. And unless you want me to go back into dinner with Luke and Brett with a massive hard on, I should probably look away." Gwen loves that she's able to turn him on so quickly. It had been so long since she felt sexy to a man that she wants to keep going, but knows he has to get back with his buddies. 

"Boo, you're no fun. But ok, I'll let you go. Have fun on your man date baby. Don't get into too much trouble. Love you." She blows him a kiss making him smile before he says I love you back. 

Not quite ready to stop being adorable and a massive tease, Gwen poses for a selfie of herself in a VERY seductive pose while in the tub, bubbles dripping off of her naked body while sucking on one of her fingers. She sends the porn worthy picture to her boyfriend with the message "Hope this gets you through the night cowboy gx."

Two seconds later as she begins reaching for a towel her phone buzzes with a message from Blake. 

"Massive erection in the middle of a crowded restaurant... Check." Gwen laughed out loud proud of what she's done as she climbed into bed exhausted from the seven orgasm Blake had given her directly and indirectly over the past twenty four hours. 

****

Saturday was a blur. The amount of people and resources that goes into ninety minutes of sketch comedy blows Gwen's mind. She feels so blessed to have gotten the gig, never once taking any of it for granted. Blake watches the show live from Las Vegas, making sure to be back at his hotel room by 11:30 from Pre Parties so he can watch her perform. Both songs she sang were about him and he's blown away, literally. Watching her sing Misery for the first time left his heart exploding. It's impossible to forget the talent that Gwen Stefani has on stage but watching her sing Misery reminded him just how much of a legend she truly is making him wonder how the hell he got a girl like that. Sometime during the show she even did a funny sketch and song with the host about space pants making Blake laugh out loud hysterically. "How the hell does she make space shorts look sexy?" He asks himself before tweeting for her to bring them home for all to see. 

When she gets back to her dressing room after the good byes she reads through about twenty texts from friends, family, and of course Blake, all congratulating her on her performance. God, this whole thing felt surreal to her. Everything was going so great, her life, her career, her faith, it scared her to think that she must be due for it all to come crashing down. She shook that idea from her head as the "old Gwen" began showing up and started to change for the after party. It was a fun party with great music and if it had been any other night she probably would have stayed longer but she was much too eager to catch her flight to Las Vegas to be with her man on one of country music's a biggest nights. So she politely and graciously thanked everyone involved: the cast, crew, writers, executive heads, then took some pictures, and signed some autographs before making her way to the private plane Blake had arranged for her so she could spread out and sleep in peace. 

As she stretched out on the couch in the main cabin barely big enough for her petite body, she sent out one last text to Blake. "Hey babe, just about to take off to come see you. I'm going to try and sleep during this 4 hour flight so I'm not dead tonight :) I love you, see you soon! Gx" 

Her eyes suddenly didn't feel heavy as she began thinking about what a whirlwind the past five days had been and how magical New York was. She was also curious to see what the award show was going to bring. Curious was putting it mildly, she was actually terrified. Blake got along with everyone in any genre of music (Hell, even him and Usher were bffs) that it intimidated her that country artists wouldn't respond to her the same way. Sure, some of his closest friends like Kelley and Raelynn loved her but she was nervous about the old school LEGENDS like Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw or Carrie Underwood, would they like her too? Then there's the inevitable elephant in the room of his ex wife being there, the six year reigning Queen of the ACMs. What if the tabloids turn it into a huge deal? What if everyone wonders what the hell a pop singer is doing there? What if Blake feels something for Miranda after seeing her and wants to give it another go? She shook the thoughts from her head for the second time that night, a habit she needed to break, just as the engines started going and her phone buzzed.

"Yay! I can't wait to see you beautiful! And I can't wait to show you off on my arm to all my friends. They'll all love you just as much as I do! Have a safe flight baby, and sweet dreams. Mine will be about you :)" Gwen smiled at the text before putting her phone away, turning on her side and closing her eyes. 

Sunday night was going to be an interesting one.


	8. Chapter 8

Four hours later, Todd was gently nudging Gwen's shoulder to wake her up. "Gwen, time to get up, we're about to land." Normally she hated being woken from a nap or getting out of bed, but this time was different, she gladly stretched her arms and smiled knowing she was about to see Blake. The plane touched down and she made her way to the car on the tarmac. While in the car, sounding exhausted, she called Blake to let him know she was in town. 

"Hey baby, I just landed and on my way to the hotel." 

He yawned as she heard sheets ruffle in the background indicating he was still in bed and Gwen felt a little guilty for waking him up but not THAT guilty considering he probably got more sleep then her. "Great! I can't wait to see you!" 

She said bye to Todd as he went to check into his room and she headed for the elevator to see her boyfriend in his. She knocked on the door to one of the suites he was staying in and hearing him walk to the door on the other side suddenly gave her butterflies for some reason. He opened the door and she burst out laughing. Blake had clearly just woken up, again. His bed head was crazy with his long curls extra grey and extra askew. He was wearing a white tshirt and blue plaid pajama bottoms that made his foggy, half open eyes extra blue. "Hey sunshine! What are you laughing at?" He asked as she went straight into his arms giggling into his shirt. "You. You look so freakin adorable right now. I guess I just missed seeing you in the morning like this." She tilted her head upward to indicate she wanted a kiss in which he gladly obliged. It last longer then expected causing her butterflies to return. "Well you look super hot. Seriously how does someone look like this after being on a plane all night. This must be a dream." She blushed (considering she was just wearing one of his old sweatshirts and no makeup) and thanked him for the sweet compliment as they made their way through the beautiful suite. They plopped down on the couch where Gwen curled up partly on Blake's lap as he talked about the day's events and what time he had to get down there. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes open and rally but the sound of his voice was like butter to her and it started lulling her to sleep. 

"Shit honey, I'm sorry, you must be exhausted from that flight and you probably didn't sleep much. Here, cmon." Blake picked her up off the couch and carried her to the bed placing her down gently. Gwen was half awake as Blake slowly took off her boots and jeans leaving her only his baggy grey sweatshirt that she'd stolen and often wore on flights. "I'm sorry Blake I just need a couple more hours then I'll be ready for tonight." He laughed kissing her softly and climbed in under the covers behind her just as she pulled his left arm around her and intertwined there fingers. "Mmm much better. Sweet dreams babe." Gwen pulled the hand of his that she was holding up to her mouth for a soft kiss, too tired to say anything back to him. And with that they both drifted off to sleep for a few more hours.

*******

Blake's alarm on his phone going off startled him but it luckily didn't wake Gwen as he grabbed to turn it off. He had to start getting ready and head to the auditorium for sound check and other interviews for tonight. He slowly and gently released himself from Gwen's grip and got out of bed quietly so he didn't wake her. She was out, and he knew how exhausting she must be after a hectic four days in New York which is why her being here with him meant a lot. This was bound to be an emotional day for him and when she offered to come support him, he had gotten a little choked up. Miranda hardly ever offered her support unless it benefited her as well. No way would she come to an award show with him unless she was also nominated. She'd think it was a waste of her time. So Gwen being at his concerts, tweeting about his music, and going to events that have nothing to do with her meant the world to him. 

He finishes his shower, throws on a button up shirt, jeans, and boots and starts to head out. But first he writes a note for Gwen and leaves it under her phone so she's sure to see it. She looks so peaceful as she clings to a pillow making him actually jealous of it. Blake doesn't want to wake her up but he desperately wants to kiss her goodbye since it'll be a couple hours until they see each other. But he resists the urge and just smiles down at her before grabbing his phone and heading out, already missing her scent the second the hotel door closes. 

Gwen wakes up about an hour later feeling immediately better after the extra few hours of slumber. She looks around briefly but knows Blake must be gone. She lifts up her phone to check the time and messages only to find a note folded underneath from her love. 

"Mornin sunshine- sorry I had to sneak out but I had to get down to sound check. You looked so beautiful I didn't want to wake you. Feel free to lounge around all day in bed, I'll be pretty busy with interviews. Can't wait to see you later! Love, Blake" She lets out a huge smile before burying her face into one of the white hotel pillows giddy at how her boyfriend still makes her blush. Gwen finally gets out of bed and starts wandering the hotel suite Blake had gotten for the two of them. She's especially touched that when she goes to get some caffeine, he had bought some of her favorite chamomile tea for her to have and placed it by the kettle of hot water. After pouring a cup, she sees that she has some time before having to get ready so she gets back into bed and starts you tubing a lot of the nominees at the award show. She doesn't want to be completely oblivious after all. After a couple videos she finds herself always clicking on some of Blakes old performance. God she loved watching him performed. He was so simply sexy that she felt like a teenager wanting to hang his poster all over her locker. 

Eventually, she did watch a few of Miranda's performances too. "Wow", she admits, the girl can sing. She's so classic country in every way and is a throw back to that honky tonk era that Blake loves that's it's intimidating to Gwen. "If that's the kind of woman he was in love with for over ten years, then what does he see in me" she thinks to herself. Before she lets herself go too far down that rabbit hole she gets up and decides to head to the hotel gym to try and run it off. This is Blakes day, and she's vowed to not let this be about her and her insecurities. She trusts him with all her heart. Her heart, after all, is his. Forever. 

*****

Down at the auditorium, Blake is doing a couple of last run throughs for his single. Luke Bryan comes in to rehearse their opening number of his song and catches the last thirty seconds of Came Here to Forget and notices how intense Blake is singing it for a rehearsal. 

"Gee Wiz buddy, that song sure is intense. You sure you'll be able to get through the whole thing without crying like a baby?" He jokes with him like a brother but also asks concerningly. 

Blake gives a slight smile, "Guess we'll find out... I'm just glad I get to sing first and head to the after party early." They decided when they accepted the invite that they would leave after his performance and get dinner before hitting up the after party. There was no point since he wasn't nominated (a sore subject) and it would have been even more awkward to sit there to watch Miranda most likely win her millionth ACM in a row. "What? You're not staying? Aw man I finally wanted to meet the beautiful Gwen Stefani that you're allegedly dating." 

"Alleged is an awfully big word for you. I'm impressed!" They both laugh giving each other a hard time before Blake continues "You'll meet her at the party. She's really excited to meet y'all. Nervous, but excited!" Luke smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder as Blake sits down on one of the huge speakers "Don't worry brother, we'll give her a good old fashion country welcome!" 

"Oh god that's what I'm afraid of!" He laughs but then gets real serious real quick "She means everything to me Luke, her and her boys, I don't know what I did to deserve them. And I know it looks crazy, especially to the country world and Nashville, but you can't help who you fall in love with ya know?" Just like Adam, Blakes friendship with Luke can go from jokingly hating on each other to sincere brotherly love in two seconds flat. He wants to break the tension with a joke but something tells him to hold off and let Blake continue to get stuff off his chest. 

"After Miranda and I split up, I didn't realize how divided the country scene would go. Picking sides and all. It hurt. I didn't do anything wrong, and I never aired our dirty laundry over her cheatin on me, but it's hard seeing so many take her side and makin her the victim. I especially get upset when they bring Gwen into it. I love country music more then anything but when they start attacking someone else for no reason then I've got a problem with it. We're supposed to be real, and welcoming to everyone, not judging just cuz someone doesn't have a southern accent. I swear it's makes me furious." Blake is getting heated right now thinking of everything Gwen as endured. They've never talked about it and he doesn't even know if she's noticed the stupid headlines but it makes him ashamed sometimes to be honest. 

"I know buddy, and I'm sorry people out there are being dumbasses. Gwen seems like a phenomenal woman and mother. I mean, she has to be if she's with you. You deserve the best brother. And I can't wait to meet her!" With that Blake thanks him for the words of encouragement and their little bro time is over as they begin rehearsing Luke's opening song laughing the whole way through. 

****

Back at the hotel, Gwen starts getting ready. They decided to skip the red carpet once they heard Miranda and her new boyfriend would be making their debut. Gwen was fine with that since she was having trouble picking out a dress appropriate for the event. In Hollywood, and New York City, and Tokyo, and Paris, any of those red carpets she can rock because she can be daring and crazy and couture. But she was nervous to do that in this crowd, her first time. She didn't want to make a big "look at me" scene. So when Blake asked if she just wanted to watch him perform backstage, then go to dinner before the party, she was relieved and thrilled. A party dress she could rock in her sleep.

As she put on some of Blakes music to listen to and get her in the mood for tonight (hell she never needed an excuse to listen to him sing) she slipped into her fishnets and black lace bra while sitting at the vanity in the master bathroom finishing up her makeup. Hearing "sangria" come on always gets her turned on, and since she hasn't seen her man all day, she decides to be a little frisky and send him a picture of her half naked with her legs perched up to her chest, looking seductively into the lens. Blake had gone crazy when she sent similar ones to him back in the fall during Voice taping and that's when they were only a trailer away. "Getting dressed. Like my outfit cowboy? gx" 

In record time her phone gets a response. "Shit darlin! That's my favorite outfit ever, minus a few more articles of clothing." Another one comes right after from him. "Maybe tonight though, you wear a turtleneck, and overalls, and a trench coat. I don't want anyone eyeing you the wrong way. I've got enough competition to begin with lol I can't have you going home with some rodeo star" Gwen laughs at this message but also wants him to know how untrue that is. "Don't worry baby, when it comes to us, there's NO competition :) I'll be down at the auditorium in about an hour gx." 

After finishing her look, she calls for the car to take her to Blake. She's excited. More so then she thought. It almost feels like a date, getting dressed up, not seeing each other before, she can't help but smile. The driver helps her out and she makes her way to Blakes dressing room number that he had texted her. She gets a little lost but luckily his booming voice calls out her name. "Gwen! Over here babe!" 

Her stomach dropped seeing him dressed up. They'd spent so much time being casual and comfortable at the ranch and with the kids at home which, don't get her wrong, she adored more then anything, but seeing him in his dark jeans, black shirt, black vest, charcoal grey blazer did things to her. She walked up to him, more like sauntered, immediately reaching out for his hands that were in his pockets as he looked at her biting his lip. "Wow darlin' You look like a dream! How is it you still manage to take my breath away?" Gwen smiled leaning up for a kiss that started light but got a little deeper when she opened her mouth invited his tongue in to play. She pulled back swallowing and looking into his eyes "God Blake, baby, you look so handsome. I love it when you wear a vest, it seriously does things to me, you don't even know." He smiles big showing off those dimples, proud that his girlfriend thinks he looks good. "Well, we're going to have to contain ourselves till tonight darlin' But when we get back to our room, trust me when I say I'll be ripping everything off of you... Except those fishnets of course. Those stay on the whole night baby." 

Gwen can feel a flood of moisture go between her legs as he speaks low to her in his dressing room. She backs away, putting some light between them before things go too far. Having a quickie in the communal dressing room backstage wasn't exactly the impression she wanted to give his friends and colleagues. And since she's never, ever, quiet when it comes to her orgasms from Blake, they'd all hear. So she backs up and sits on the couch as she giggles and watches Blake fuss with his curls trying to make them all go in the same direction. What started off cute turns into him getting a little frustrated as he stares into the mirror letting out a quiet "Damnit" having trouble with his hair causing Gwen to walk over, placing her hands on his shoulders from behind.

"It's ok if you're nervous baby. You'll do great, you always do." She leans into him giving a small kiss on the side of his head above his ear. He grabs one of her hands in his, squeezing it tight. She can feel that his palms are sweaty indicating just how nervous he is. "Thanks hun. I just want it go well. Do remember how nervous and emotional you were when you sang 'Used To Love You' on the Voice? With your whole family in the audience? This song is a big deal, and this crowd is a big deal." He's looking down at his feet, almost embarrassed to admit this. "Plus I always get a little nervous when I know you'll be watching." 

Gwen moves in front of him, leaning against the vanity and pulls his face upwards so she see his eyes. "Baby, you don't need to be nervous cuz of me. I'll be proud of you no matter what. I promise." She sits down on his lap, pulling his arms around her waste and he moves his face into her hair to inhale the fruity smell of her shampoo. "You'll. Do. Great." She says while giving a small kiss in between each word. He smiles after each one "Thanks hun." Gwen stands up and walks back to standing behind him. "Now how 'bout I help you with these gorgeous curls of yours. I've learned some tricks from Danillo in trying to handle Apollos hair." Blake laughs and hands her the bottle of gel "Yes please." 

It's to the point where the show is about to start and Blake needs to get to the stage. He guides Gwen to the green room where she can watch him on the monitors. Before he leaves, he cups her face with one hand and gives her a kiss. "I'll see you in a little bit darlin'" She smiles into his kiss as her heart rate skyrockets "Knock em dead cowboy. I'll be waiting for you." 

As Gwen sits on the couch in front of one of the tv screens still showing the red carpet arrivals she notices Miranda show up with her new boyfriend. She has no idea who he is but he looks like he's about fifteen years old and his curls bare no comparison to Blake's. "Ok that was caddy" she thinks to herself. Gwen was never good at being the 'mean girl' who ragged on others, she always felt way too guilty afterwards. She admits to herself that she does look pretty in her dress. She's curvy in all the places Gwen wasn't and she's always been a little insecure of her somewhat flat chested, petite frame. She wonders if Blake has seen her yet, she hopes not. He was already so nervous that seeing her would probably make him get in his head too much. It's that moment when Gwen gets this huge need to protect him. 

Just then the lights go dim and music starts. The show begins with Blake ambushing Luke's song which makes Gwen, and the audience, laugh and give applause. He looks like he's having a blast with him. After Luke finishes his song, Blake makes his way to the other stage where his music starts up. He's standing in front of a huge screen with the black and white waves crashing from his video and Gwen is practically melting. He starts singing, sounding like pure sex. She can't take her eyes away from the screen, thinking about how she can't wait to take rip that vest off of him. During one of the breaks in the song, Blake looks out in to the crowd and Gwen swears she sees his eyes watering. "Oh my God" she whispers out loud. The moment is really getting to him, the song, the crowd, everything. He's completely lost. His emotions only intensify the performance and you can cut the tension in the room with a knife. She puts her hands up to the tv screen wanting to run her fingers through his hair and comfort him as if he were there in real life. 

The song ends, and he looks truly happy and overwhelmed as he bows to the audience. Gwen starts making her way to the stage to meet Blake halfway. Their eyes meet from on opposite sides of the hall. They say nothing as Gwen runs, literally runs, and jumps into Blakes arms. He buries his face into her hair and she starts tearing up because of how proud she is. To anyone watching this embrace, they'd think Blake had just gotten back war. They'd never know that they'd been apart for a total of about twenty minutes. He puts her feet back on the ground, kisses her forehead, grabs her hand and leads them out to his ordered car that takes them to dinner. "Let's go babe."

*****

"I don't know, it just seemed to all hit me when I was singing." The restaurant is intimate but noisy enough so no one else can hear their personal conversation over their romantic meal as Gwen listens intently to her boyfriend passionately explain his performance. She loves his speaking voice, she could listen to him talk forever. "It hit me because this time last year is when things really took a turn for the worst. I mean as you know it hadn't had been good for a year but coming to the award show last year and posing for pictures was literally like torture for the two of us. We'd gotten in this huge fight about us both taking time off from touring and The Voice to start a family like we had imagined years and years ago. But she was having none of it. She was so bitter saying she never wanted kids and wouldn't change her mind. Right when she was screaming all of that, the limo to take us to the red carpet showed up. Crazy huh?" 

Gwen sat making fists in her lap after hearing the story. Stories of how Miranda had mistreated Blake were not new to her, but they still managed to get under her skin bringing out her protective, nurturing nature. "God Blake I'm sorry. It's crazy hearing that story and I can literally think of a dozen red carpets or performances or appearances where the same thing happened. Gavin and I screaming at each other just as the valet opens the limo doors and cameras going off and pretending to be this happy married couple who couldn't even sleep in the same bed. One time he made me cry so hard that I had to have the driver circle for a half hour so I could reapply my makeup. Could you imagine if the paps got pictures of me looking like I was just punched in the stomach." Now it's Blakes turn to clench his fist upon the table hearing about how that rat hurt his girl. "Honey I swear if I were there I would have punched HIM in the stomach, and then escorted you in myself." 

Gwen smiles, the first in a long time actually, as she kisses the back of his hand since his lips are too far from hers. "That's a nice thought babe." Blake looks intensely at her as she takes a sip of her red wine. "Well luckily we don't have to wonder anymore. That's one of the reasons I teared up tonight Hun. Thinking about how crappy the first six months of last year was and then seeing you that first day back at filming in your baggy jeans and Fleetwood Mac tshirt and beanie. I swear my heart stopped. And then when you hugged me in the studio, it started beating all over again." Gwen has heard him talk about the day they reunited back during the blinds (still as friends) many times, but she still loves hearing him compliment her like that. It makes her think about how truly remarkable their romance has been. 

Blake continued "I guess I just remembered thinking at the ACMs last year, watching her accept all those awards, never once mentioning me, I guess I thought to myself I would never be happy again... And then you and the boys came along and saved me." Gwen can't help but tear up, bringing her free hand up to her eye to stop her mascara from running. As a single mother, hearing Blake constantly mention her and her boys as one makes her heart explode. "We saved each other baby, and you know it." 

The rest of the evening was filled with funny and interesting stories from their childhood, careers, and families. The only good thing about finding each other so late in life is that they have about forty plus years of conversations to get caught up on so there's never a dull moment between the two. Rarely have they had dinner like this just the two of them. It's usually accompanied with kids, her family, his family, her team, his crew etc. Which is fun, they both love big crowds and taking care of people, but it's also nice to have an actual date night as if they were a normal couple. After splitting a chocolate soufflé (at Blakes urging knowing Gwen would love it but felt guilty ordering it herself, always nervous about her weight) Blake payed the check, pulled her chair out and walked hand in hand to the valet to take them to the after party. Luckily the bottle of wine they shared calmed her nerves and she was actually looking forward to meeting some of his music friends. 

*****

The night was filled with laughter and hugs and cheek kisses as Gwen made her way through the crowd with ease. Even Blake was shocked at how well everyone got a long with her. Sure she had met a lot of them at the CMAs in November but they were so new at that point that every introduction was so brief. Most guests even assumed she was just there with Nicole Kidman. But Sunday night went great, she listened intently, took pictures, even signed autographs for Tim McGraw and Faith Hills daughters. Finally Luke showed up with his wife and the crowd went nuts. He came up to Blake giving him a huge bear hug and Gwen laughed out loud as she politely introduced herself to Luke's wife. 

"Well well well, Gwen. So you're the one who took my work husband away. We meet at last." He says trying to sound irritated but his accent is so goofy Gwen can't help but giggle. Gwen reaches out her hand "I'm sorry and you are...." They all burst out laughing as Blake beams down at his girlfriend pulling her in close laughing and whispering "God I love you" into her ear. "Luke, I'm like, so excited to finally meet you! Blake talks about you non stop. It usually makes me, and Adam, a little jealous." The four of them talk and joke for a good portion of the night. Gwen and his wife hit it off, talking about everything from music to clothes to kids to movies and Blake and Luke are, well, being Blake and Luke. Both are trying to make the girls laugh hysterically until Gwen has to beg them to stop before they ruin her make up. 

Gwen excuses herself to get another glass of wine at the bar only to find Luke coming up behind her resting his arm on the bar counter. "Congratulations again tonight Luke. I heard you crushed it. And your wife is a doll! I swear I could talk to her all night!" He smiles that crooked smile that all country boys must possess causing Gwen to suddenly miss Blakes, "Aw gee thanks Gwen. She's taken a real shining to you as well. Next time y'all are in Nashville we should all go out to dinner." Gwen loves the idea, she loves all of the new people and experiences Blake has introduced her too. "Sounds great!" 

"I've got to confess though, I didn't just come over here to invite you and 'okie' over there out on a double date with me and the Mrs. I came to thank you Gwen. For bringing Blake back to life. I'm sure you heard all about his dark days but seeing how he was first hand at the beginning of last year? Gollie it wasn't pretty." Gwen's stomach drops once again upon hearing about Blake in pain. "But then you came along, and suddenly he's smiling and touring and laughing and writing and being the Blake Shelton everyone loves. I've gone to his shows and seen him sing every song of his imaginable but when I saw him a couple weeks ago, I had NEVER seen him sing like that. It's like God gave him a fresh start with you." She teared up at this point feeling the same way. On numerous occasions, friends, fans and musical professionals have commented on how on point her vocals and writing have been lately. And she owes the credit to her cowboy. "God Luke thank you, that means so much. You're going to make me cry! He saved me too. If it weren't for him I'd probably still be in bed." She giggles a little as she dabs her eyes ridding the tears. 

"Well, all I know is he can't stop talking about you and those beautiful boys of yours. I swear every time I see him I have to sit through about twenty minutes of him showing me pictures of their football game or some video of them in the backyard like a proud papa. He's lucky they're cute!" They're full on laughing at this point just as Blake and Luke's wife come over to join them at the bar. Blake puts his arm around Gwen's back all protective and shit, and Gwen looks up at him, biting at her bottom lip letting him know she needs a kiss. He quickly takes the hint giving her a deep kiss, and a little filthy to be honest considering they were in public. 

The night was going great.

But then the music stopped as the MC took the microphone "Hey y'all! Let's give it up for female vocalist of the year Miranda Lambert!" The crowd goes crazy as she and what's his name walk in greeting people as she clutches her awards. Gwen presses herself closer into Blake's side reminding him she's here, scared his attention is wandering. But As if he needed reminding, regardless of his country superstar ex wife walking in, he hasn't taken his eyes off of Gwen, making all her worries about the night disappear. He's staring so deeply into her, without blinking, that she has to look away before her knees give out causing him let out a proud laugh. 

The party is big enough where the two couples never run into each other. Blake and Gwen are enjoying each other's company along with other friends of Blakes quietly in one corner, while Miranda and Anderson are showboating it up in another. There are times when Gwen looks over when Blake is busy in conversation to take in his ex. She can't help but notice how harsh Miranda looks in person compared to her softness on a screen; and seeing her date possessively drape his arm over her isn't cute and protective, it's more demeaning. Like "look at me, I'm here with Miranda Lambert." After being married to a 'one hit wonder' aging rockstar from the nineties, Gwen knows that feeling all too well and suddenly feels bad for the girl because it was so obvious that this boy was using her for her celebrity status. But that quickly fades when she remembers how much she hurt Blake. 

It's getting late and the party is getting a little rowdy. Luke and his wife left, along with Tim and Faith. It's the point of the evening where you have to decide whether to call it a night and go home with a nice buzz or commit to getting shit faced. Gwen is exhausted, and was never a huge drinker, but she doesn't want to tear Blake away from his friends if he's having a good time. He spends all of his free time with her and the kids, usually watching Disney movies and lounging around the house that she thinks he must miss this sort of thing. Just then he pulls her in close to whisper in her ear "Ready to go baby girl?"

"Are you sure Blake? We can stay longer if you want." Just then Gwen lets out a yawn as if on cue causing Blake to yawn as well. They both laugh at how they've turned into the boring married couple at social events. "God look at us, can't even make it to midnight at a party. I guess running around with three little boys have finally caught up with you cowboy. " Gwen's half joking at this, but the other half she actually feels guilty for taking over all of Blakes energy. He gives a slight smile noting her insecurity "Babe, running around with those kiddos is my favorite kind of exhaustion...." His voice gets lower "... Well actually my favorite way of getting exhausted is making you scream my name. But the boys are a close second." She blushes and buries her face in his neck. "No but seriously Gwen, I'd rather spend every night eating mac n cheese on the sofa watching Despicable Me and then in bed by ten with your head on my chest then be out drinking and partying with these fools...I did that for a long time. It's gets old and lonely after awhile. I'd rather just be where you are every night. Sound good?" 

"Sounds perfect babe." And with that, he takes her hand and they start saying their good byes. As Gwen stops by the powder room, Blake goes to coach check to get Gwen's jacket. He looks down at his phone checking some messages waiting for her by the door when suddenly he hears someone slur his name. It's a slur he knows a little too well. He turns half around to see Miranda walk towards him, holding what's probably her fifth drink, with that look in her eyes that he knows to be drunk and vengeful. Blake knows Gwen will be here any moment, but if he walks away, Miranda will start talking louder causing a scene, so he politely turns all the way around and smiles coming face to face with her. 

"Hey. Congratulations on tonight. You won another." He's saying all this with a smile even though both know it's anything from sincere. 

"And you, nice song. I'll try not to take it too personally. But God Blake, you made HER sound like a rebound. That had to suck for her." 

"She's anything but, and her name is Gwen." There's an awkward moment from his remark that he wants to brush away. "You and your new boyfriend seem happy." She smiles, looking away back at Anderson at the bar ordering shots "Yes we are. Isn't he hot? So nice to be with someone young and fun for once..." Blake laughs at the obvious insult to him thinking about how pathetic her attempts were to make him jealous of that little pipsqueak. Just then he feels a warmth behind him as a smooth hand grabs his securely "Hey baby I missed you." Gwen leans up kissing his cheek before turning to a drunk Miranda "Oh hi Miranda, sorry I didn't see you. Am I interrupting something?" Blake is beaming as Gwen holds on to him, staring down at Miranda, as she's clearly marking her territory. He loves this side of Gwen. It's not jealous or suffocating, it's her protective mama bear instincts that are coming out in a "back off, I'll hurt you if you hurt him" mode that she has with her three boys. 

"Gwen- how are you?" Miranda is a tough woman to phase, but it's obvious standing face to face with Gwen Stefani that she's intimidated whereas Gwen is cool as a cucumber. "We're Fantastic..." She says while looking at Blake "... And you? Oh did you win something tonight?" Miranda looks mortified as she takes a sip of her vodka while Blake is getting such a hoot watching her squirm as Gwen acts oblivious to her awards. But as much as he'd like to stay and watch Gwen wipe the floor with Ran, he'd much rather spend the rest of the night alone with his girl, his future, and not with his ex, his past. "Well we better get going, got an early flight back to LA tomorrow." Miranda lets out a shrill laugh causing them both to frown. "LA Blake? You hated that place! Couldn't wait to leave! Who are you kidding? Who are you trying to fool? Trying to be this responsible Hollywood family man all of sudden. Well guess what honey, you're not those kids dad! And never will be!" 

Blake's blood is boiling and he can feel Gwen tense up and ready to snap but he interjects first. "First off, DO NOT talk about her kids like that. Second, you know nothing about me or who I am so stop acting like you do. I don't care where I am, what city or wherever, as long as I'm with Gwen. Got that? So do yourself a favor and take your drunk self back over to your date whose name no one can even remember before you embarrass yourself even more then you already have." And with that Blake squeezes Gwen's hand and begins to turn around but Gwen stays firm to finish the conversation "Just so you know Miranda, my kids love Blake and already think of him as a father. They know he'll be their step dad some day and are thrilled. And I would be the luckiest person in the world to have a family with him. Only a stupid girl would let him go." Sporting a smirk indicating she's proud of herself, Gwen turns to Blake whose mouth is open in astonishment as they both put their arms around the others waste and walk out. 

They walk arm in arm down the Vegas strip to their hotel a couple blocks down enjoying the fresh air. Gwen stops walking and pulls him into her to make sure he's ok. "Are you alright baby? That couldn't have been fun." Her eyes are concerned as she studies his face. "No it wasn't fun, it was actually pathetic of her. Not that I needed reminding, but man oh man I sure as hell don't miss that. Her cruel side is something not a lot of people have gotten the pleasure of seeing." He takes her hand in his "Thank you for having my back Gwen, really, I don't think I would have gotten through it without you by my side. I love seeing that feisty, protective side of you though. We make a good team, you and me."

"Damn straight we do cowboy. I wasn't planning on being that caddy, but seeing how she was talking to you and then when she brought up the kids. I couldn't resist. And thank you for standing up for my boys, OUR boys I mean. It's cute seeing you get all Papa Bear with them. " Blake's eyes sparkle, partly due to the neon signs of the strip, but mostly hearing Gwen refer to them as 'ours.' 

"Are you kidding me? Of course I would! Besides, I knew if I didn't jump in you'd claw her eyes out with those OC nails of yours." Gwen throws her head back laughing giving Blake a chance to kiss her neck turning the moment from serious to joking to sexy in about five minutes. "God I love you so much Gwen. I thought tonight was going to suck, but it's turning into something I'll never forget... Thanks to you. Everything good in my life is thanks to you." She pushes up on her tip toes to give him one of the most loving kisses to date. It started out closed mouth but turned into something much more as soon as Gwen shyly brushed her tongue against his causing him to stutter. "Take me to bed Blake. I need you to make love to me." She bats her long eye lashes in front of her brown doe eyes as she bites her lip and Blake thinks he must be dreaming. There's no way that in just a year, he went from being at his lowest, most heartbroken point to being unconditionally in love with the most perfect, beautiful woman whose currently asking him to make love to her. Instead of spending too much time wondering what he did to deserve his future wife, he takes her hand, leads them back to their hotel room while whispering "Yes ma'am."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, and thank you for the kind comments :)

They made their way back into the hotel suite a little after midnight, still giggly and kissing on each other. As Blake reached into his pocket for the key card, Gwen leaned up against the door biting her lip while rubbing her hands up and down his vest that she loved. Blake blushed as his dream girl purred into him making him lose his concentration causing the key to drop on the floor. They both laughed and finally made their way in as Blake guides her backwards as they playfully kissed. The room was dark, and only the lights from the strip illuminated it enough so they wouldn't trip. Still walking backwards, Gwen finally turned around allowing Blake to nibble at her neck.

"Whoa!" Gwen exclaimed startling Blake a little as his head bounced back from marking her neck. "Baby look how pretty the view is. All the lights! Whoa that's crazy!" Blake was still interested in Gwen more then some neon signs but he humored her as he went back to worshipping her body. "Yeah, it is pretty. But not nearly as pretty as you baby girl." His voice got low and sexy as she leaned back into him indicating what he was doing felt good. "Can we go out there on the balcony for a bit babe? It's just so pretty." Blake couldn't help but laugh at how enthralled by the view she was but he also admits that when she gets in this mood he finds it pretty adorable. "Sure thing beautiful. I'll meet you out there. I'll go get us some champagne to enjoy the view." Gwen starts walking towards the balcony door but after one step away she turns around, leans up on her tip toes, pulls Blakes face down and gives him a soft kiss as if to show him how grateful she is for him allowing her to enjoy the little things in life without making fun of her. 

Blake returns five minutes later, with two full glasses of champagne and the bottle that he places on the table before reaching Gwen. He gets stopped in his tracks upon looking up and seeing her, pressed up against the ledge, with all the lights around her, causing her to literally sparkle. "Wow." He doesn't even realize he said out loud until Gwen turns around smiling up at him, reaching out her hand wanting him to join her. "Come here cowboy." Blake gladly walks over, kisses the side of her head and hands her a glass. 

"What should we toast to?" Gwen asks. "To us?" She asks. "Sure that's always a good one. To us. To tomorrow." They take sips of the pricey bubbly and Gwen tilts her head trying to remember if tomorrow was their anniversary or something meaningful. "What's tomorrow babe? Did I forget something important?"

"No. Tomorrow we go home to LA, probably go grocery shopping, pick up the kids from school, play in the backyard, make dinner, do the dishes, put a movie on, carry three sleepy boys to bed to tuck in and kiss good night before crawling into your bed and doing the same to you. So no, tomorrow isn't important... It's everything." Gwen loves it when he says stuff like this. She literally pined for a guy like Blake her entire life. Someone who was tuned in with her emotions and feelings, someone who talked sweet and lovingly to her, and someone who was just... Well... Kind. The amount of times she would beg and silently pray that Gavin would say something nice to her or compliment her was too much to count, and so were the amount of times she would come up empty handed, often going to bed never feeling good enough. But with Blake, she never has to beg or pray or wonder if he'll say something kind to her or if she's living up to any expectations. He tells her and let's her know constantly, whether in some flashy gesture like sending huge bouquets to her dressing rooms or something small and intimate like whispering I love you into her ear in bed when he thinks she's fallen asleep. That reassurance is more then she could have dreamed of. 

Gwen sets her glass down on the ledge and wraps her arms around Blake's waist under his blazer holding onto him in a possessive manner that he secretly adores. "You know what I love about you Blake Shelton. That after a crazy year of divorces and ex's and tabloids, after months and months of dating and of wooing me and being around my crazy kids nonstop and seeing the mayhem of my life. After all that, you still manage to give me butterflies every time you say something like that. How is that like even possible?" Blake blushes with a slight smile to show his deep dimples that make Gwen's heart skip. She's still holding onto him as he brings a hand up to brush back a stray hair from her face causing goosebumps to run down her whole body. "Good, that's the effect I was going for. I'm going to keep wooing you baby even when we are into our nineties. I never want you to forget how lucky I am to have y'all in my life." Blake leans down and gives her a kiss as a single tear runs down her face. 

With the way Blake is looking at her with his denim colored eyes, the mood is becoming a little too intense for Gwen to bare. She doesn't want to become overly emotional so she breaks away by turning her back into him as they stare out onto the beautiful strip swaying to the music that's playing from one of the giant hotels across the street. Just because she's not facing him, Gwen is still feeling the effects of the moment as she leans into him, feeling his breath on her bare shoulders. Blake wasn't going to let her break this mood which was quickly turning into something else as he kept one hand on the balcony ledge caging her in while his other hand explored the landscape of her long, long legs barely covered by the short hemline of her dress. He begins kissing and licking the area behind her ear that always sent shockwaves through her body before landing on the area between her legs. Her eyes shut as she let herself go and stopped fighting this amazing feeling as he moaned into her ear, the vibration causing a flood of wetness to settle in her panties. 

"God baby you're turning me on so much. Your kisses on me are like a drug." Gwen barely managed to get that out as Blake had moved from her ear to the area where her neck net her shoulder blade. She could feel him smile into her neck after hearing her confession making her all the more aroused. "I love making you wet for me baby girl, it's my favorite hobby." Just then his right hand slipped up her dress in between her thighs to feel her heat. He casually ran a finger over her panties, and then gently snaked a finger under to feel her sopping wet lips causing his kisses to stutter on her neck. "Holy fuck Gwen you are so wet! Are you trying to kill me?" Blake continued to coat his finger tips with her juices, gently dancing around her pussy waiting to penetrate her. All she could do was lean further back into him as she became putty under his touch out on the balcony. 

Her breathing became more desperate and he could feel her heart rate pounding as he brought his free hand around her torso bracing her that he was going in for the kill. "Please baby, stop teasing, I need to feel you. I'm so wet, please Blake." He loves getting her to this point where she's so desperate that's she's literally dripping. Gwen had only been in relationships that wanted her passive in bed so that anytime she felt comfortable enough and turned on enough to literally ask for it from him, it made him extreme happy. Unable to resist her heat, or her plea, any longer, Blake dips his finger into her causing her knees to buckle. "It's ok baby, I got you. I got what you need" he whispers into her ear as his grip around her torso tightens and she braces her own hands to steady herself. He begins pumping in and out of her as he kisses up and down her neck. Her moans are getting louder and more intense by the second as he begins picking up speed. 

She lets out a whimper that hits a high pitch that is enough to make Blake come in his pants when he adds a second finger into her. "You like that baby? Does that feel good?" Blake knows dirty talk really turns her on, especially when he does it in his deep, country drawl voice that she refers to as 'sexy cowboy.' She can't even manage to answer him as it becomes apparent she's using all her concentration on breathing right now. His finger action is becoming more powerful as he speeds up, making the squishing noises caused by her juices louder and louder. Blake knows how to make her come in about thirty seconds, but he loves bringing her to edge a million times first and watching her slowly go insane underneath him. In return though, Gwens moaning of his name is driving him equally insane as he gently thrusts his erection into her back. Feeling his massive hard on from behind, Gwen reaches for his free hand around her waist and brings it up to her mouth where she slowly, but powerfully, begins sucking on his fingers. Blake nearly losing it as his hand between her thighs twitches. Gwen grins, happy with herself that she's driving him just as crazy. 

Unable to take the buildup anymore, Blake goes deeper inside of her causing Gwen to let out a moan he's never heard before. It immediately sends goosebumps down her body and Blake can feel her legs tremble indicating she's ready to explode. "God baby, I'm so close, I'm gonna come. I'm gonna c...... Fuckkkkkkk Blakeeeeee!" Gwens orgasm hits her so hard that she literally loses sight for a few seconds as she screams out his name. Blake holds onto her tightly, finger fucking her through it hitting all the right buttons and encouraging her the whole time. Blake loves the feeling of her pussy clamping down on his hand that her climax gives his fingers their second wind as he continues to pump causing a second orgasm to hit her unexpectedly, literally seconds later. Gwen is so surprised and still exhausted from her first release that all she can do is hold on to Blake for dear life crying out in pleasure and just wait for the tingling to subside, which she secretly hopes never does. 

Blake nuzzles into her neck as he gently pulls his fingers out of her as his one arm continues to hold and support her as a few aftershocks hit her. Gwen leans over the balcony as she regains her breathing rhythm and let's out a laugh "Oh my god baby, that one hit me hard. I think I passed out for a second." Blake let out a deep laugh, obviously proud of himself, "I guess I just can't help myself around you. Your pussy feels so good around my fingers." Gwen turns around then facing him for the first time in what seems like years, giving him an absolutely filthy kiss causing Blakes dick to jump up to full mast as he pressing into Gwens body. 

She begins manhandling him, pushing against his chest and shoulders causing him to walk backwards. He assumed they are going inside but Gwen pushes him on to the giant balcony lounge chair where he gladly takes a seat. As he stares up at her in amazement of her beauty and sexiness, she places one hand atop his shoulder to steady herself as she slips off her soaking wet panties from under dress. He quickly removes his blazer and begins to take off his vest when Gwen stops him. "Please keep your vest on, it seriously does things to me cowboy" she confesses as she leans in for a kiss filled with tongue. How could Blake resist a request like that. As she's standing between his legs, his hands start firmly cupping her ass from under her dress, already missing the feeling of her heat. Her fingers then travel down south to remove his belt and unbutton his jeans where she reaches into his pants to grab his silky smooth, hard dick. She smiles into their kiss as she feels him growing under her touch. He leans up to pull his pants down, enabling his cock to breath in the Vegas air. 

Gwen then moves to straddle him on the balcony as they both work in unison to line up. She hovers over him, not yet touching at the center as he looks up at her desperate for her love. One hand on his cock, and the other behind his neck, she leans her chest into him meeting his eyes "You ready to fuck me cowboy? Cause I'm gonna ride you so hard." His hips stutter at her statement causing her to grin. Hell if he could talk dirty why not her, she can fun driving him crazy as well. Not able to take the tension of not being inside her, Blake thrusts his hips up slightly as Gwen lowers herself into him. Thanks to the two orgasms Blake coaxed her to against the ledge, she's more then ready to take him completely in in one try. Upon resting completely on his lap, totally submerged into her, Blake lets out a moan disguised as a sigh as if he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life. Gwen furiously starts making out with him feeling more in control then ever as she can feel him growing bigger inside her causing all her pressure points to be hit. She slowly begins riding him as she starts to find a rhythm and traction while gripping onto the front of his vest that she begged him to keep on. 

Gwen throws her neck back as his hands take over in guiding her ass and hips into his, causing them both to moan out. "God baby you're so fucking sexy, riding me like this. I'm gonna explode." Gwen grinds harder down onto him causing the head of his dick to hit her G spot dead on making her gasp for air. "Yes! Right there baby! Harder! Please!" Blake thrusts up into her with more power then ever before hitting the spot over and over until Gwen falls apart on top of him as her third orgasm hits. Looking up at her face lit up by the neon signs of the strip as she comes, her head is thrown back, eyes scrunched, and mouth open, trying to breath, Blake mentally takes a snapshot, filing it away in his mind for later thoughts. "God I love watching you come baby, you're so fucking wrecked right now on top of me." Gwen regains her breathing and takes back control as she tightens her thighs around his hips and clenches her walls around his dick causing him to close his eyes and slightly whimper. "I want you to come in me so badly Blake. You ready baby?" She grinds down on him three more times before he squeezes onto her ass so hard it'll probably leave a hand shaped mark and spilled into her while her tongue was down his throat. 

She gently slow humped into him, nuzzling his neck as he continued to empty every last drop into her until she felt him begin to soften. Not saying a word, they rested their foreheads against each other, her arm still around his neck, the other gripping onto the front his vest while his hands remained on her ass under her colorful party dress. "Wow" Blake whispered, his voice hoarse and a little gritty. "Yeah" Gwen sounding just as wrecked as her beau. "I think I'm going to start wearing vests more often babe." Gwen bursts out laughing as she buries her face into his neck. "I did warn you it does things to me handsome." She's looking down at him with those brown bedroom eyes of hers that could bring him to his knees, "You weren't kidding beautiful." 

Even though it was late and they were exhausted, neither wanted to be the first to move inside. So instead, Blake simply leaned back on the chaise lounge as Gwen relaxed on top of him resting her head under his chin and on his chest while he moved his legs onto the ottoman in front of them before she snaked hers in between. The breeze picked up causing a shiver to run across Gwen as Blake grabbed his blazer from the ground beside their temporary balcony bed and wrapped it around her bare shoulders like a blanket. He can feel Gwen melt further into his embrace and something tells him that they are not going to make it to the bed anytime soon. "Are you comfortable baby? Warm enough?" He asks causing her to slightly stir on top of him, "I'm perfect. You're so comfortable honey. Can we stay out here for a little bit?" Blake kisses the top of her head wrapping his arm around her securely "Of course. Besides, I don't think my legs will work for a few hours thanks to you." They both giggle and continue to tease each other before eventually drifting off to sleep out on the balcony overlooking the lights of the Vegas strip. 

******

A few hours later Gwen woke up inside in their bed to the sound of Blake talking to someone in the living room and then the hotel door shutting. He then quietly opened the bedroom door where he wheeled in what looked like a room service cart filled with breakfast. She leaned up smiling as she realized she was wearing his black dress shirt under the covers. 

"Mornin gorgeous. You're up! I was just about to wake you up for breakfast in bed. We got a plane to catch." Blake was wearing his favorite jeans and a fitted gray t-shirt that made his salt and pepper curls sparkle. "Good morning handsome" she says as she knees up to give him a kiss, still feeling the effects of their balcony activities. "Wow this smells amazing, I'm starving. I guess we worked up an appetite last night." Blake laughed at her as he poured her some tea and coffee for himself. "When did we come inside? Last thing I remember is falling asleep outside. I don't even remember changing." Blake cut into a giant blueberry muffin, putting half on her plate next to her yogurt and granola making sure she got some carbs in her system. "Yeah you were pretty out of it. Around dawn the sunlight woke me up so I picked you up and carried you to bed." Gwen smiled gratefully almost ready to cry at the image. "I tripped on one of your heels and almost dropped you though" he said laughing as she smiled and shook her head at how quickly he changed the mood from caretaker to clown. "And then your dress looked kind of tight and uncomfortable so I carefully took it off and put my dress shirt on you since I know you like sleeping in em'... Plus I just really wanted to see you naked." Gwen has tears running down her face from laughing so hard. God she loves it when he makes her laugh like this, making her have a smile headache. "Oh gee thanks babe. What a gentleman." She's just teasing him as she leans in for a coffee flavored kiss. 

They finished eat breakfast as she started to make her way to her suitcase to start packing while he sat on the bed answering some emails. "Thanks for ordering breakfast babe, I love eating in bed." He smiled, not taking his eyes off his iPhone screen. "You know I was almost going to bring the cart in wearing nothing but my jeans and vest..." Gwen once again threw her head back laughing... "But then I knew you wouldn't be able to contain yourself and we just don't have that kind of time darlin' " Gwen picks up the pillow tossing it at his head as he continues to tease her. "Will you get out of here and let me pack in peace. God you're distracting." He starts to walk out into the living room but not before looking back at her and flashing her his "just for Gwen grin" only to get her "just for Blake smile" in return as she sits on the floor by her suitcase.

*****

A few hours later their private plane touched down in a Burbank airstrip where Gwen's green Range Rover was dropped off earlier by her assistant. They walked across the Tarmac happy to see no photographers as Blake opened the drivers door for his girl giving her a quick peck on the lips. They didn't have to pick up the boys from school for another hour, so they decided to go to Blakes house for a bit to pick up his dog Betty who would be excited to see her dad. They contemplated picking Apollo up first from Gavin's but decided to wait until after the two older boys were with them to work as some sort of buffer.

Pulling into Blake's driveway and walking into his living room, Gwen's stomach dropped slightly. The last time she was here was when she rushed over to say goodbye before her flight after she had stormed out the night before. That fight seemed like an eternity ago, and even though it had actually made them closer and stronger, the memory of his face as she walked away still made her insides turn. "Gwen? Gwen?" His voice suddenly snapped her out of her mind. "Huh sorry. Did you say something?" 

"I asked if you wanted anything to drink?" She shook her head and went to sit on the couch. "Ok well I'm gonna take Betty for a quick walk before we pick up the kids. I'll be back in a bit." He made his way to the front door whistling for Betty as he picked up her leash. Even though earlier in the car ride over she had mentioned taking a quick nap before school got out, suddenly the idea of being alone in this house like when she hadn't found him last Wednesday terrified her. "Wait honey!" She shot up from the couch jogging a bit to her boyfriend. "Some fresh air sounds good, mind if I join?" Betty's tail begins wagging quickly as she jumps up licking Gwens hand causing her to giggle. "Hey Betty no jumping" Blake smiles taking Gwens hand in his, opening the door, "Nothing better then taking an afternoon stroll with my two favorite girls." 

About an hour later the three of them piled into the car and made their way to Kingston's and Zuma's school for afternoon pick up. As Blake waited behind the wheel as Gwen ran inside, he rolled down the back window a bit so Betty's head stuck out. As soon as the dog saw the two boys walking out she'd practically jumped out of the car in excitement. "Betty!" Zuma shouted, "Mommy look it's Betty!" He ran over petting her from outside the car as she licked his face. Kingston got excited too knowing her owner must be in the car as well "Does this mean Blake is picking us up too mom?" Gwen smiled looking down at her oldest as his eyes sparkled hoping Blake was around. Just then Blake rolled down the other tinted windows of her Range Rover revealing himself and shouted over to Kingston, "Hey buddy! I've missed you guys! And so did Betty!" King then let go of his moms hand and ran to the car practically tackling Blake in the driver seat giving him a hug. Gwen's heart melted as she walked over to her family, tearing up at the sight, "Alright boys, get your seat belts on, we've got to go pick up your brother from your father." After hearing three seat belt buckles click Blake starts the car and makes his way to Gavin's house for the last member of his little family. 

Blake pulled into the driveway as Gwen squeezed his hand slightly and made her way inside. Even though they've been separated since summer, she still gets anxiety every time she has to see her ex husband. It's not sadness or jealousy, it's that she never knows what he'll say to her and what he'll throw at her next. That uncertainness terrifies Gwen and infuriates Blake. It's almost as if he still has this tiny bit of power dangling over her. He's trying to listen to the boys talk about what they did at school but he's mostly eyeing the front door while watching the clock trying to figure out how long she's been in there. Right when he thinks about going inside, he sees her struggling out with Apollo, a car seat, and all his other belongings. Blake jumps out of the car to grab everything while kissing the youngest on the forehead when he smiles up at him from his mom's hip. "Thanks babe for your help." There's a tinge of sadness in her voice and Blake knows Gavin must have said something to upset her; and if it weren't for the three boys in the back seat he'd walk into his house and punch him in the face. But instead he simply helps getting the car seat hooked up in the back and gets everyone situated before returning to the drivers seat and kissing the back of her hand as he starts the engine up. As they make the short drive back to Gwens house, Blake notices Gwen is pretty quiet as shes looks out the window deep in thought. He wants to break her of whatever mood her ex husband put her in without drawing too much attention to it in front of the boys. As he's trying to think of a joke, he looks in his rear view mirror and starts laughing. "Hey Gwen... Gwen, quick, look behind you" he quietly says to her. She then turns her body around to take in the sight and a huge smile comes across her face. 

The Range Rover was a great car, but when toting around 3 kids, a car seat, back packs, suitcases, and oh yeah, a dog, it tended to be a little snug for the six of them. So when they both looked back to find the three kids squished in their seats with Betty sprawled out on top of all of them as Apollo played with her floppy ears and the others rubbing her tummy, the two adults couldn't help but laugh. Gwen quickly took a picture on her phone wanting to remember this moment and Blake beamed in happiness as he continued to look back in the mirror every chance he got of his family. Gwen then looks up at her true love, broken of whatever mood she was in caused by Gavin and runs her nails through his back curls causing him to lean his head into her while still watching the road. "Well I guess we're officially home cowboy." Blake smiled nodding his head, "Thank god for that." 

*****

After an afternoon filled with homework, touch football, bath time and dinner, the two of them finally managed to rangle the hyper boys into bed. Gwen was already under the covers, her eyes closed with the tv on when Blake made his way into bed. He leaned over to her side of the bed and kissed her forehead before saying good night and I love you. Surprisingly Not tired, He leaned up against the headboard and began answering emails on his iPad. Suddenly feeling too far away from him, Gwen scooted over, with her eyes still closed, snuggling up into his comfy frame. Taking the hint, Blake lifted his right arm allowing her to bury her face into his neck while she intertwined her freezing feet into his warm ones. With one arm around her waist and the other scrolling through his emails, her nails began tickling his beard causing him to smile and distract him. "Quit it woman" he teased her as he put his tablet down on the table. "Turn your phone off and hit the lights babe. I'm exhausted." She giggled into his neck as he reached up to turn the remaining light off and snuggle into her under the covers. 

Right when they were about to fall asleep, Apollos baby monitor starts lighting up indicating he's restless. They both groan, hoping it's nothing and that the baby falls back to sleep. But then he breaks out in a small cry causing Gwen to start to sit up from bed. "Bwaaaaaake, Bwaaaaake." Blakes eyes shoot open upon hearing his name being cried from the toddlers room. Gwen laughs and lays back down, "Ha! Looks like he wants you cowboy, I'm going back to sleep" she teases him. Blake leans up with bags under his eyes, taking his time getting out of bed as Gwen giggles up at him "I bet you taught him to yell out for me so you could get more sleep." She laughs while grabbing the covers, "Yeah right, he just loves you." Blake makes his way quickly into the toddlers room where he sees him sitting up and crying. Blake's heart breaks as the little boy reaches out for him when he sees him in the door way. He immediately picks him up, bouncing him up and down trying to sooth his tears. "Hey buddy I'm here, what's the matter?" Apollo is still learning a lot of words but he does manage to get the word "scared" out as his clings to Blake. "You're scared? That's ok, I'm here, don't worry buddy... It's ok no more tears." Gwen lays in bed down the hall holding onto the baby monitor as she listens to her love sooth her baby boy back to sleep. She wants so badly to join but also doesn't want to interrupt this moment they're having. Apollo isn't crying very hard anymore but his sniffling is still occurring so Blake starts singing to him causing Gwen to tear up. 

Gwen had sung to all three of her boys from the minute they were born, and when she would catch Blake doing it as well, always with her youngest, her heart melted. He began singing a song he wrote that was brand new, something that wasn't going to be released until the next week or so. It was a gospel song he had written last year when he was in a dark place called "Saviors Shadow." When Gwen heard it for the first time she literally felt like she was in church and could do nothing but hug him. Her faith is so huge in her life and even though Gavin never made fun of her for it, he also didn't share it with her either, causing her to lose her way a bit over the past twenty years. Sharing their faith and beliefs is one of the reasons Blake and her fit so well. So as Blake quietly sings this gospel song to sooth her miracle baby, she can't help but sweetly sob into her pillow as she clings to the baby monitor. 

His singing starts to trail off and get quiet, and so she assumes Apollo must have fallen asleep in his arms listening to his voice. Gwen can't blame him really, she was actually jealous of her son as soon as the country star started serenading him. Blake puts the sleeping toddler back into bed, kisses the top of his head and quietly makes his way back to the master suite while sporting a huge smile found on most proud papas. He assumes Gwen will be fast asleep but instead finds her reaching out to him with open arms, just as Apollo had. He crawls back into her embrace where he rests his head on her chest, a position they rarely slept in but Blake secretly loved. She runs her fingers through his hair while he lets out a big sigh signaling how content he is. She kisses the top of his head and whispers "Night baby, I love you." He leans his head a bit and plants a kiss on her heart "I love you too Gwen." And with that she feels him drift to sleep perfectly on top of her. 

Right before she feels herself fall into slumber, she quietly begins praying and thanking God for everything that happened over the past few days. More like past year. Her eye lids begin to get heavy as she finishes up, tightening her embrace around her cowboy before adding "Thank you God for giving me him. I promise I'll take care him. Amen."


End file.
